Broccoli Pizza

This broccoli pizza is a fantastic vegetarian pizza topped with creamy mozzarella, Parmesan, onion, and tender broccoli. And the brine made with olive oil, garlic, and lemon juice adds extra flavor!

Recipe yields 2 round pizzas (about 25-30 cm/10-11 inches Ø). The quantity if enough for 2 large/4 smaller servings.

Prep Time5

Cook Time10

proof time3

Total Time3 15

Course: Pizza

Cuisine: itallian

Keyword: Broccoli pizza

Servings:

Calories: 1302kcal

Ingredients

Stand mixer dough (or 20oz of your fav dough)

1 cup (240 ml) luckewarm water
¾ teaspoon fine salt
3 cups (360 grams) Flour (00, all-purpose, or bread flour)
½ teaspoon instant yeast
1 tablespoon olive oil

Broccoli topping

10oz (300 grams) Broccoli florets (1 head broccoli)
1 medium-sized onion, sliced
10 oz (300 grams) mozzarella, at room temp (quantity for 2 pizzas)
1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
extra virgin olive oil and fresh black pepper, to serve
fresh basil leaves, to serve

Brine

1 ½ tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 ½ tablespoon lemon juice
½ lemon zest
½ teaspoon fresh garlic, grated
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon Italian herb seasoning or dried basil
⅛ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Pizza dough

If you're making my the stand mixer dough, I recommend reading this post from start to finish before starting.
Next, add 1 cup of lukewarm water (240 ml) and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer. Start mixing on low speed with the dough hook attachment, gradually adding flour and yeast to the water. When you see the flour has been incorporated, add more, using a spatula to scrape down the flour. The dough should look perfectly pliable at this stage, but feel free to add a little bit of flour if it seems a bit sticky.
When all the flour has been incorporated, add the olive oil, increase the speed to medium, and let the stand mixer mixing for 10 minutes until the dough forms a smooth, elastic ball that no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface (you need just a tiny amount of flour as the flour should be perfectly smooth and not sticky). Cover with a damp tea towel and let it rest for about 30 minutes.
After the first rest, using a knife of a spatula, divide the dough into 2 equal parts. Now, take a each piece of dough, gently pull the edges and fold them over the center, or until the dough has tightened into a ball. Make a seam at the bottom to create tension. Repeat with the other dough piece.
Cover the dough balls with a damp tea towel and let them rest at room temperature for about 2 hours (or let the dough rise until it doubles). You can also place them in separate bowls and cover with plastic wrap. Once they have doubled in size, they are ready to use to make your pizza.

Brine

Add all the ingredients for the brine to a jar with a lid, and shake until well emulsified. The adds flavor, you don't need much.

Broccoli topping

Preheat the oven (at least 230 ℃/450℉ – a hotter oven leads to a better pizza!).
Add the broccoli florets to a large pot, cover with water (about 500ml), and add ¼ teaspoon of salt. Bring to the boil, cook for 3 minutes, then drain the broccoli and set aside.
Use your fingertips to push the dough outward from the center, creating a circular shape (approx 11 inches/30 cm in diameter) and leaving about 1 inch of dough untouched around the edge. Try to keep the air bubbles if you can.
Divide and spread the brine evenly between the two pizzas. Top with diced mozzarella, grated parmesan, sliced onion, and broccoli florets, and finish with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. I also loved adding some chili flakes.
Bake in the preheated oven for about 8 minutes (in a forced-fan oven) or until golden brown and with a crispy bottom. Serve with a drizzle with extra virgin olive oilfresh basil, and add more freshly ground black pepper, slice and serve warm. Enjoy!

Notes

How to measure the ingredients: A kitchen scale is always the best option; however, if you use US cups, be sure to use the spoon-and-level method. Essentially, don’t scoop the flour out of the bag with your measuring cup, as you may end up with more flour than you need. Use a spoon to transfer the flour from the bag into the measuring cup instead, then use the back of a knife to level off the top of the measuring cup.

What to use if you don't have a pizza stone? Each oven usually has a rimmed baking sheet that you can simply invert it and place on the lowest shelf of your oven before you preheat it. When the baking sheet is right-side up, taking the pizza in and out of the oven will be easier and the preheated baking sheet will make a nice and crisp pizza crust.

To bake your pizza: place pizza and parchment paper on a pizza peel or on a large tray and, when it’s time to bake, slide the pizza onto the hot reverted baking sheet and bake until golden and crispy.

Nutrition facts: The values are for one serving (considering about half pizza!) and are based on an online nutrition calculator. It’s an estimate only, and it should not be considered as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. Please consult a registered dietician if you are following a medical restrictive diet (Check my disclosure policies).

Nutrition