I'm in a pizza mood lately. The weather is getting gross. It can't decide whether it's spring or fall. We're oscillating between 30 degrees with a chance of snow to almost 80 degrees. The debate over whether to turn the heat on or not is abound. No one likes these rapid shifts in air pressure, though, and grumpiness is also at an all time high. There's absolutely nothing that I like better than homemade comfort food when this happens, though! And, in light of the wintery holidays almost being upon us, making mashed potatoes and dousing everything in cheese definitely my go-to. I don't always put broccoli and mashed potatoes on pizza, but I did it the other day with Deep Dish Pizza w/ Mashed Potatoes, Tomatoes, & Fresh Mozzarella and now I'm absolutely obsessed with it.
Today, I decided to go with mashed potatoes, broccoli, and cheddar cheese because it reminds me of the holidays. There are no better sides than buttered mashed potatoes and a hefty place of broccoli and gooey cheddar cheese. So, as an ode to my favorite side dishes of all time, I've tossed all of them into a single meal with this deep dish Chicago-style pizza. With a hefty amount of fresh mozzarella, just for good measure. Although you can easily mix and match in your favorite ingredients or what you have on hand!
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Variations of Broccoli Pizza
There are plenty of other ways to make your own version of pizza. I have the base deep dish pizza dough recipe as well as some of my favorite trios of barbecue pizza. Really, if there's a will, there's a way. Pizza is one of the more fun things to make. I've done it in the woods over campfire, on the barbecue, and in absolutely any and all ovens imaginable from home to hobby to professional.
This Deep Dish Chicago-style Pizza consists of mashed potatoes, broccoli, cheddar cheese, and fresh mozzarella on a buttery crust. For just the dough recipe, check out my article on Deep Dish Pizza Dough w/ Butter & Olive Oil. I styled this pizza recipe around my go-to version of a vegetarian Thanksgiving dinner. Although pizza is a great dish to mix and match in your own favorite ingredients!
10g.instant yeast(2¾ tsp. or slightly more than 1 package)
480g.all-purpose flour(4 c. + 3 tbsp.)
11g.salt(1¾ tsp.)
50g.olive oil(1/4 c.)
57g.butter(1/4 c. + more for greasing the pan)
Mashed Potatoes
6yukon gold potatoespeeled & cubed
1/4c.butter
dashsalt
dashpepper
Toppings
1headbroccoliroughly chopped
1/2c.cheddar cheese
16oz.fresh mozzarellasliced (1 package)
Instructions
Proof Dough
Combine warm water and yeast. Let rest for 15 minutes, or until the yeast begins to bubble.
Meanwhile, whisk together all of the other dough ingredients.
After the yeast has proofed, stir yeast mixture into the flour. Mix until roughly incorporated and the dough has a shaggy appearance.
Lightly grease a large bowl and transfer the dough.
Cover and let proof for 6 hours in a warm place, or until doubled in size.Alternatively, place in the refrigerator and proof for 2 days.
Mashed Potatoes
Peel and cube the potatoes. Place in a large pot and cover with 2 inches of water. Bring to a boil over high heat and boil for 10-15 minutes, or until tender.
Once the potatoes are cooked, drain the water and place back in the pot or a large bowl. Add butter, salt, and pepper. Mash with a potato masher until light and fluffy. Making sure to scrape the sides and stir occasionally.Alternatively, use a mixer and blend until just incorporated.
Bake Crust
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
Heavily grease a large cast iron pan or round baking dish.
Spread the dough evenly across the pan.
Let the dough rest for 10 minutes. Then, continue to stretch the dough into shape with the crust slightly up the side of the pan.
Bake for 10 minutes.
Cook Pizza
Add mashed potatoes down as the base of the pizza.You could make an alfredo sauce or add a drizzle of olive oi. Although there's so much butter, both in the crust and the mashed potatoes, that I don't find this necessary. Although it is an option!
Tips, Tricks, & Notes
I used a 15-inch cast iron pan to make this pizza. Although it more reasonably makes 2 medium-sized pizzas. This pan alone barely fits in my oven. It's more than 22 inches at the handle. Making multiple pizzas also gives you the opportunity to do different toppings on each if you want to mix and match it!
Mashed potatoes are almost deceptively simple to make. There are some easy pitfalls to fall into and simple tips and tricks that can make a big difference. For a more in-depth article on preparing, check out my article on The Fundamentals of Making Mashed Potatoes.
I have a much more in-depth article on The Fundamentals of Deep Dish Pizza Dough w/ Butter. Including photos of the difference between a quick rise and a multiple day proof as well as tips and tricks on kneading the dough by hand or in a stand mixer.
This Page Contains Edited Images
As a general rule, I don't like to edit images. Food styling, editing, alteration, and even faking entirely is just as rampant a problem in the recipe realm. Cooking is a very visual art and you can tell when a lot of foods are cooked based on the color. So, when this is altered and you can't use the coloration as a gauge, it makes it quite difficult to follow some recipes. I have an entire article about Food Styling and Unrealistic Expectations of Recipes. My place has very warm lighting, though. So, sometimes my camera overcompensates and ends up with an unnatural hues. I've adjusted the hues, levels, and/or cropped the following images:
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