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Pizza
"Bugs"
(Makes 8)
Ingredients:
Pizza dough:
1 tablespoon dried yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup warm water (100 -110 degrees F)
5 - 6 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons Kosher salt
1 cup warm water (100 - 110 degrees F)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Directions:
- In
a small mixing bowl, whisk together the first 3 ingredients. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a small
plate. Set aside to allow the yeast to activate, 5 to 10 minutes.
- Place
the remaining ingredients into a large mixing bowl and add the sponge
mixture. Using a wooden spoon, stir until a sticky dough forms.
-
Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes until the
dough becomes smooth and elastic.
-
Place
the dough into a large oiled bowl and turn to coat.
-
Cover
the bowl with plastic wrap or a tight fitting lid or plate.
-
Let
the dough rise in a warm place, until doubled in size - about 1 hour.
-
Punch
the dough down and knead lightly until smooth.
-
The
dough can be used for Pizza, Calzones or Focaccia.
Filling:
1 x 8 ounce can pizza sauce or pasta sauce
1 x 3.5 ounce pack sliced pepperoni
1 x 8 ounce pack shredded mozzarella cheese
Decoration:
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into matchsticks (julienne)
8 cherry tomatoes
16 pimiento-stuffed green olives
3 egg yolks
Red, green and yellow food coloring
3 teaspoons water
Directions:
- Follow directions for pizza dough,
up to step 6.
- While the dough is proving, make
the 'paint': Place the egg yolks in three small bowls. Add
one
teaspoon of water to each bowl and several drops of desired
food coloring to each bowl. Beat each
mixture with a fork
until well combined; set aside.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Fahrenheit.
- When the dough has doubled in
size. Punch it down and divide into 8 equal pieces.
- To make one pizza bug: Take one
piece of bread dough and cut into two equal pieces. Using your
hands,
roll each piece into a ball, then flatten or roll out
each piece into a 4 inch circles (these will be the top and
bottom of the bug).
- Place a small amount of pizza
sauce ( about 1 tablespoon) up to 1/4 inch from the edge of one
of the flattened bread dough.
- Top with cheese and pepperoni.
- Place a few carrot sticks around
the edge of the pizza, forming legs.
- Wet the edge of the pizza with
water. Top with the other piece of flattened bread dough
and press the
edges together with fingers to seal.
- Using a clean paintbrush, paint
the top of pizza bug with colored egg mixtures.
- Place on a lightly greased baking
sheet. Repeat with the remaining bread dough.
- Bake in preheated oven for 10 -
12 minutes or until golden brown.
- Meanwhile, attach olives to tomato
with toothpicks to form eyes. Press in two carrot sticks
to form antennae.
- Transfer the baked pizza bug to
plate and place tomato to form head.
- To make a 'Pizzapede': Arrange all
the pizza bugs in a line (with no heads) and place one head on
the
first in line.
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