I wasn’t happy with the pizza I could make at home—until I discovered this recipe. Instead of trying to reproduce restaurant-grade pizza, we take advantage of the baking sheet, producing a thick, fluffy dough with a delicious olive oil crust. It’s almost a pie instead of a pizza, but the best pizza you can make at home with what’s already there. Juicy, crusty, cheesy.

Ingredients

Dough

• 500g bread flour (or all-purpose)
• 350g water (70% hydration)
• 10g salt
• 7g instant yeast

Topping

• 300–400g mozzarella, grated
• 1 eggplant, sliced 2mm thin
• Olive oil, lots

Sauce

• 3 cans peeled tomatoes
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• Garlic, minced
• Oregano

Preparation

1. Mix the dough ingredients and let rest for at least 5 hours. Slap and fold occasionally to develop gluten.
2. A few hours before baking, generously coat a baking sheet with olive oil—the dough should almost swim in it. Transfer the dough and spread it out. Let it rest in the sheet for a few more hours.
3. Spread the grated mozzarella over the dough, pushing it outward to help stretch to the edges.
4. Lay the eggplant slices on top of the cheese and brush with olive oil.
5. For the sauce, place the peeled tomatoes in a fine sieve and crush by hand, letting most of the water drain out. Mix the dried tomatoes with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, and oregano. Spread over the eggplant.
6. Bake at 220°C with top-bottom heat: 15 minutes on the lowest rack, then about 15 more minutes in the middle until golden and bubbling.
7. It might stick a little to the sheet—that’s normal. Let it cool briefly before slicing. Enjoy!