The Hot Vita

“My mother, who has deep Calabrian roots, always made us pan pizza when we were little. She also loves eggplant parmesan, so I decided to combine the two things.”

Directions

For the Dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer using a dough hook, mix flour and about 80% of water on low speed for 1 min. Add in leaven, mix on low for 1 min, and medium for 4 min or until combined and a dough ball has formed. Cover, and let rest in bowl for 20 min.

Dig a hole in the center of the dough and add in salt and remaining water. Mix on low speed for 1 min, then medium speed for 5 min. Add oil, then mix on high speed for 3 min. Cover and let dough bulk rise for 4 hrs at room temperature.

Shape into 1 – 1000 g dough ball and put dough into a covered container or on a sheet pan covered with plastic wrap. Let rest for 24 hours or overnight in the fridge before using. Take dough out 2 hours before use so it can come to room temperature.

*I use a natural sourdough starter that consists of 100% hydration (equal parts flour and water). Before making this recipe feed your starter 80 g flour and 80 g water 12 hrs before making and set aside in a warm area. You should be using the starter right before its peak rise.

For the Calabrian Marinara: Place Piccolo® Datterini Tomatoes and juice into a medium bowl. Use your hands to crush until chunky. Stir in Calabrian chilis and salt.

For the Eggplant: Preheat oven to 500°F. Toss eggplant slices with Truly® 100% Extra Virgin Olive Oil in a large bowl. In separate bowl, mix Parmigiano Reggiano, salt, red pepper flakes, and oregano. Add mixture to eggplant and toss until coated.

Lay eggplant slices out on a sheet pan (avoid overlapping) and bake 10-15 min until they just begin to brown and crisp.

To Assemble and Serve: Coat a ½ sheet baking pan (or traditional Sicilian pan) with Truly® 100% Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Place your dough ball in pan and drizzle with more Truly® 100% Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Starting at center, press out air bubbles while pushing dough evenly toward the corners. Flip and repeat, working dough outwards, keeping it uniformly thick. Cover, and let dough rest for one hour. Repeat pushing out dough until it reaches the corners. Seal with plastic wrap and place in a warm area to rise for 16 hrs or overnight.

Preheat oven to 500-550°F. Unwrap and place pan into oven to parbake for 8 min. After 2 to 3 min, check dough and pop any oversized bubbles, then continue baking. Remove from oven and cool.

Top with Calabrese Marinara, leaving a ½-inch border. Lay eggplant slices over sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella, then top with evenly spaced dollops of ricotta.

Bake for 10 min, turning halfway through, until cheese browns and bubbles. Remove from oven; lift pizza to ensure the underside looks dark and crunchy. If not, remove from pan and bake a bit longer, preferably directly on a pizza stone. Once underside is dark, remove from oven.

Top with basil leaves, a drizzle of Truly® 100% Extra Virgin Olive Oil, shaved Parmigiano Reggiano, and oregano.