Philly Cheesesteak Pizza

Philly Cheesesteak Pizza

We love to experiment with pizza at our house and a trip to Philadelphia this past summer provided the inspiration for this simple but delicious version based, of course, on the sandwich that the city is so famous for. We had cheesesteak sandwiches at Campo's while we were in Philly and their simplicity is definitely their best attribute. The sandwich really is all about the beef but the rolls they were served on there were also perfect, not to soft, not too crusty, just right to carry the substantial amount of beef without being too heavy. I might try my hand at trying to make a similar roll one of these days but for now I'm happy to enjoy my cheesesteak ingredients on this thin crust pizza.

With the Superbowl around the corner and an oven tome of only 7 or 8 minutes per pizza, this would make a terrific addition to any big game day menu. I enjoyed this one with a tall cold beer myself and it was some pretty darn awesome. Why not have a pizza themed game day party featuring some of our other delicious pizzas like:

Caramelized Pear and Prosciutto Pizza

Buffalo Wing Pizza 

Barbeque Grilled Chicken Pizza

Grilled Asparagus Pineapple and Chicken Pizza 

Steak Taco Grilled Pizza

Thin Crust Pizza Dough (Makes enough for 6 twelve inch pizzas. You can freeze any of the dough balls that you do not immediately use.)

• 4 cups all purpose flour
• 2 cups lukewarm water
• 1 tbsp instant yeast (or proof regular yeast in half of the warm water with a teaspoon of sugar dissolved in it for 10 minutes before adding)
• 2 tsp sea salt

Add all ingredients except 1 cups of the flour to the bowl. Using the dough hook on your electric mixer, mix together well and allow to run on low speed for about 10 minutes. Start adding the rest of the flour a little at a time until a soft dough forms. The dough will be a little sticky but don't worry about that, just allow it to rise in a warm spot for a couple of hours or more before turning it out into a bread board and kneading by hand, adding more flour if necessary to firm up the dough. 

You may have to use a little more or a little less flour depending factors like local humidity. Just use as much as it takes to form the dough, adding only a little at a time as you knead.

Form into 6 balls and allow the dough to rest at least a half hour before rolling out or stretching it to 12 inch circles. 

NOTE: I think that pizza dough should be made a day or even two in advance and cold proofed, covered, in the fridge. It has better flavor and texture after this long proofing period.

• garlic oil
• caramelized onions, optional ( about 1/2 cup per pizza)
• grilled peppers, optional (about 1/2 cup per pizza)
• pan seared rare striploin or prime rib steak, thinly sliced (6 - 8 ounces per pizza)
• Provolone cheese cut in 1/2 inch cubes (about 4 ounces per pizza)

Place the round on a wooden peel that has been well sprinkled with cornmeal. The cornmeal will allow the pizza to slide off the peel (I’ve even used a thin piece of cardboard in a pinch if you do not have a peel. You can also prepare the pizza on a pizza pan and when it has been baking for 4 minutes, slide it from the pan, directly onto the pizza stone to crisp the bottom crust well.) Make sure your pizza is sliding on the cornmeal base before adding your toppings.

Brush the pizza crust with garlic olive oil. Add the caramelized onions and grilled peppers if you are using them. Top witht he beef and scatter the cheese cubes evenly over the surface.

Shake your peel to make sure the pizza is not stuck. Slide the pizza onto the hot stone, shaking it slightly in a back and forth motion as you slowly retract the wooden peel. Bake for about 8 minutes or until the bottom is evenly brown.

Remove from oven and allow to stand for a couple of minutes before cutting and serving.