Southwest Barbecue Pizza

Usually the pantry of the average college student isn't too advanced to begin with. Add a few weeks of not going to the grocery store to that, and the situation becomes pretty grim. Scrounging and scraping around in the pantry for every last scrap of edible material, our average college student probably doesn't even know what he is ingesting. Luckily for us, I am not an average college student and I definitely do not have a typical college student pantry. However, I haven't been to the grocery store in a very long while, so my situation today was a little bit grim. But out of the darkness comes the light! And so it did, my friends. So it did.

I was feelin' something slightly spicy, mostly healthy, and not too heavy. Looking through my pantry, I spotted some corn and beans. And that's when the light went off. I hurriedly snatched the corn, black beans, and mushrooms and dashed to the kitchen. I tossed them all together, added a little of this, a little of that, threw it on a crust and BAM! Southwest Barbecue Pizza. The crust (a KAF recipe, and the best crust I've ever had) was perfectly light and chewy. The topping had a slight spice and smokey taste that blended so well with the various vegetables. The raspberry BBQ sauce lent a subtle sweetness and cut through spice while still enhancing all the flavors. This southwest pizza absolutely hit the spot and was perfect because I could tailor it to exactly what I wanted. I will be making this over and over and over!

Topping:
1 can Sweet Corn
1 can Black Beans
1 Medium Onion, Chopped
1 tsp Salt
1 1/2 - 2 tsp Chipotle Powder
Oregano, to taste
Basil, to taste
1 Bratwurst or other Sausage of choice, cut into small bits.
1 small can Mushrooms
1 1/2 C Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Sweet Baby Ray's Raspberry Chipotle BBQ Sauce

Crust:
2 tsp Active Dry Yeast
7/8 to 1 1/8 C Lukewarm Water*
2 T Olive Oil
3 C All-Purpose Flour
1 1/4 tsp Salt
*Use the lesser amount in summer (or in a humid environment), the greater amount in winter (or in a dry climate), and somewhere in between the rest of the year, or if your house is climate controlled.

For Crust:
1. Dissolve yeast in 2 T lukewarm water and a pinch of sugar. Let yeast and water sit at room temperature for 15 minutes until the mixture has bubbled and expanded.

2. Combine the dissolved yeast with the remainder of the ingredients. Mix and knead everything together--by hand, mixer, or bread machine set on the dough cycle--till you've made a soft, smooth dough. If you're kneading in a stand mixer, it should take 4-5 minutes at 2nd speed, and the dough should barely clean the sides of the bowl, perhaps sticking a bit at the bottom. Don't over-knead the dough; it should hold together, but can still look fairly rough on the surface.

3. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover the bowl, and allow it to rise till it's very puffy, about 90 min.

For Topping:

Combine corn, beans, and chopped onion in a medium-sized bowl. Add salt, chipotle, oregano, and basil. Mix well. You may need to add more seasoning, depending on how seasoned you like your topping.

Assembly:
Roll dough out and place on pizza pan. Pour desired amount BBQ sauce on and spread to edges of dough, using a spoon. I like my pizza saucy so I add a little extra BBQ sauce. Next, pour filling over dough, spreading evenly. Top with mushrooms, bratwurst bits, then shredded cheese. Bake at 450 for 15-20 minutes until dough is cooked.
Yield: 1 large rectangular (Sicilian-style) pizza

Mahlzeit!
-Coriaunty