‘Gratuitous’ might be the wrong word- this pizza is totally necessary.
Perhaps ‘excessive’ or ‘over-the-top,’ although the concept behind this recipe is much more gluttonous than the actual result.
Something that would likely make more than a few Italians shake their heads in shame?
Fine.
That’s fine.
It’s still amazing.
(seen above) Yes >> YES >> YASSSSSSSS
A lot of people mistake my innate love for food as Food Snobbery and I am here to remind you- it’s not the same thing. Just because I appreciate a perfect, jammy, sous-vide egg… a 20-hour Osso Bucco… a Duck Rillette Pizza, doesn’t mean I don’t also die over, say, a Burger King Whopper (or a $4 Banh Mi, deliciously junky cheese crackers or Buffalo Mac n’ Cheese).
To truly love food is to love it indiscriminately, from Smoked Sturgeon with Black Garlic Dashi and Pickled Seasonal Vegetables to the leftover cheese I found melted on the bottom of my microwave.
And thus… I know you want to judge this pizza. This chimera of Americana. Cheeseburger. Pizza. I know.
I promise you, however, that it is not the equivalent of eating a cheeseburger AND a pizza, rather it’s the best of both worlds (and not just health-wise… although probably that, too). It’s all the love and nostalgia and weird Riverdale-esque camp of a diner burger, on a delicious thin-crust pizza you can share with a loved one (or, let’s face it, eat alone while binge watching Netflix).
I couldn’t even edit these photos without getting a snack, and they aren’t even that impressive. Just the sight of this pizza makes my mouth water, so…
Drop the judgies and get cooking, my loves. 🙂
| Gratuitous Cheeseburger Pizza | | Print |
- ⅓ recipe of pizza dough (below) OR your favourite store-bought crust
- 1 cup cheddar, grated
- ¼ cup yellow onion, diced
- 1 Tbsp sesame seeds
- 2 Tbsp Roma tomato, diced
- ¼ cup dill pickles, sliced
- Prepared yellow mustard, drizzle (to serve)
- .
- Meat:
- 300g extra lean ground beef
- 2 Tbsp ketchup
- 1 Tbsp prepared yellow mustard
- ½ tsp tsp Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ tsp freshly ground pepper
- .
- Pizza Dough:*
- 1⅓ cups warm water
- 2¼ tsp instant yeast
- 3¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 1 Tbsp salt
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- To make dough: Preheat oven to 200°F. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine water and yeast and let sit for 5 minutes until yeast has dissolved and mixture is frothy. Add in flour, sugar, salt, and olive oil; knead on a low speed for 5-10 minutes until dough has formed. It should be elastic and pull away from the sides of the bowl. Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl; cover with aluminum foil, and place bowl in the oven. TURN OVEN OFF. Let the dough rise in the warm oven for about 2 hours until it has doubled in size. Divide into two balls of dough, then use one for the remainder of this recipe. (Prepare another pizza with the second ball of dough, or store in the fridge for another night.)
- Remove dough from oven, place a pizza stone or heavy baking sheet into the oven. Crank the heat on the oven up to 500 degrees. Let the stone heat for at least 30 minutes in the oven.
- Brown ground meat in a pan over medium-high heat and then drain off most of the excess liquid. Add ketchup, mustard, Worcestershire sauce and pepper and combine well. Set aside.
- Dust a flat surface with some coarse semolina and stretch out the portion of pizza dough you will be using. Take the heated pizza stone/tray out of the oven and transfer the dough directly on to it. This will cause the dough to start cooking right away, ensuring a nice and crispy crust.
- Sprinkle the cheddar over the dough on the stone/tray. Top with an even layer of the meat mixture, followed by an even sprinkle of the chopped onion and finish by sprinkling the entire pizza with sesame seeds. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the edges of the crust are lightly browned.
- Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with diced tomato and sliced dill pickles and then finish it off with an additional small drizzle of prepared yellow mustard. ENJOY!
Um, this pizza is everything. Completely and totally obsessed with the full-out hamburger toppings! Can’t wait to try!
Thanks, Karly! Honestly, it’s soooooooo delicious Diner Burger. The best kind of indulgence (although maaaaybe, if you split the pizza, eveb less-so than an actual burger?). Either way, it’s my go-to treat-dinner these days! 🙂
As a lover of all things pizza, this recipe has made my day. Sure, here’s nothing quite like the perfect, authentic Vera Pizza Napoletana traditionally made with 00 grade wheat flour, San Marzano tomatos, mozzarella di bufala and fresh basil, baked in a wood-fired clay oven (and preferably served al fresco with a glass of ice cold Birra Morreti) – but I’m also a firm believer in creativity in the kitchen and this pizza, my god, this pizza…
…if this pizza is wrong, then who would ever want to be right?!
Excellent comment, Mike! I couldn’t agree more (all the way down to that perfect description in all it’s detail and decadence- love it! 🙂 )