FLORENTINE PIZZA RECIPES

Steps:

• To prepare the pizza, preheat the oven to 200C/Gas 6/fan 180C. Put the pizza base on a baking sheet and spread with the sauce.
• To cook the spinach, put it in a microwavable bowl, cover with cling film and pierce it a couple of times. Put in the microwave on High (850W) for 2 minutes until wilted (or cook in a covered pan for 2-3 minutes). Drain and spread the spinach over the pizza base, then get the mushrooms out of the jar with a fork and scatter them over the top. Season and sprinkle with half the parmesan. Bake for 10 minutes.
• Make four dips in the spinach with the back of a spoon, and crack an egg into each. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and bake for a further 6- 8 minutes, until the eggs are just set.

Steps:

• Put the pizza dough ingredients in to a breadmaker (in the order specified by your breadmachine), and process on pizza dough cycle.
• When cycle completes, remove the dough from the machine and put it in a bowl sprayed with cooking spray; cover it and let it rest for about 30 minutes.
• After 30 minutes, roll out the dough and put it on a greased 15 inch pizza stone sprinkled with some corn meal.
• Bake in 375F oven for about 5 minutes. Because the toppings on this pizza will generate some moisture, pre-baking the crust for a few minutes will prevent the pizza from becoming soggy. There's nothing worse than a soggy pizza! After pre-baking the crust, remove the pizza from the oven, and raise the temperature to 430°F If your pesto and toppings aren't ready yet, cover the crust with a cloth and set aside while preparing the toppings.
• While pizza dough is processing, make the pesto. You will have more pesto than you will need for the pizza. But, it is better to have a little too much, than to come up short! Just save the extra in the fridge and use for something else. In a food processor or blender, blend the basil, garlic and pine nuts.
• Slowly add the oil and continue to blend.
• Add the parmesan cheese and blend until creamy.
• Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Set the pesto aside.
• Prepare the pizza toppings. Slice the mushrooms, chop the spinach fairly fine, julienne cut the sundried tomatoes; shred the 2 cheeses and mix the cheeses together.
• Prepare the pizza! Spread the pesto on the pizza dough. Depending on your preference, you will probably want between 1/2 cup - 3/4 cup of pesto. Spread it right out to the edges.
• Add the toppings; first the spinach, then the mushrooms, then the sun-dried tomatoes, and finally the cheeses.
• Bake in a 430F oven for about 15 minutes.