Favorite Pizza Topping - Edgar Allen Poe

So there's a great pizza place called Dewey's with awesome pizza and salads. I've actually only been there about 3 times total, but only because I don't eat out much. One of the best things about Dewey's is their creative pizza topping combinations.

The Edgar Allen Poe is my favorite combo. I don't know why it's so named, but it's soooo good: kalamata olives, roasted garlic, goat cheese, parsley, tomatoes, and mushrooms on top of a white sauce.

I found this crust recipe in the local newspaper; supposedly someone took a class from a Dewey's chef and shared the recipe. Really, most crust recipes I've tried all have very similar ingredients and in similar quantities. So if you have a favorite crust recipe, keep using it, but if you're looking for one, try this one.

I want to do an extensive pizza post someday, and when I do I'll tell you about some important lessons I have learned about making great pizza. One of the secrets is the high temperature, so I highly recommend trying the high temperature on any pizza recipe. You'll thank me. I thank my mom for finally figuring this out and sharing it with me. I loved my homemade pizza before, but since the high temp revelation, now I have pizza once a week. Is that bad?

Dewey's Pizza Crust

1 ½ c. of warm water (110 - 115 degrees)
1 ½ tsp. salt
2 tbsp. sugar
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 1/4 tsp. yeast
4 c. flour

Pour the warm water into a mixing bowl. Add sugar and yeast. Stir slowly until dissolved. Let sit to "mature' about 10 minutes or so. A foamy head will form.

Add the salt and olive oil and stir to combine. Mix in first cup of flour. Add second and third cups one at a time, making dough fairly thick. Add fourth cup and combine and knead with your hands.
Remove dough to a tabletop to knead it. Use dusting of flour to reduce stickiness. Knead for 8-10 minutes. When ball no longer sticks to hands, it is smooth-textured, and the size of a grapefruit, it is done.
Coat with a thin layer of olive oil, and place in large mixing bowl coated with oil. Stretch clear wrap over top and set in warm place, like unlit oven. Allow to rise, undisturbed, for 60 to 75 minutes, growing twice original size.

Take dough and cut in half. Roll each portion into balls. Press dough ball flat to squeeze and release any air trapped inside.

Pre-heat oven and pizza stone for 20 minutes at 500. Roll out dough on parchment paper, add sauce, cheese and toppings. Carefully transfer pizza on paper to something large and flat, like an upside-down cookie sheet. Carefully transfer pizza and paper from cookie sheet to hot stone in oven. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and the crust is golden. Makes 2 12-inch pizzas.

Edgar Allen Poe: top crust with olive oil and minced garlic, then mozzarella cheese, mushrooms, roasted garlic cloves, kalamata olives and goat cheese. Bake pizza, then add fresh tomatoes and parsley. (Roast whole garlic bulb in 450° oven. Slice off top ½ inch of garlic bulb and discard. Drizzle the bulb with olive oil. In a small baking dish, bake garlic until cloves pop out of their skins, about 15 minutes. When cool, squeeze cloves out of skins.)