Lager Caprese Pizza with Stout Balsamic Glaze

On Superbowl Sunday, we had our friends over for beer-themed appetizers and mains – kinda like Bacon Night, only with beer!

One of our friends brought their copy of The Craft Beer Cookbook by Jacquelyn Dodd and made Chorizo Stout Sloppy Joes.  Ah-mazing.

Since I’m not such a huge sportsball fan, I grabbed the book and read it during the game – taking time out to watch the commercials, of course!

All of the recipes sounded just as mouthwateringly delicious as the sloppy joes, but the one that really called my name was Pale Ale Caprese Pizza.  Because yum.

The recipe in the book actually called for 3 different beers (pale ale, lager, and stout), but I didn’t have the pale ale (nor am I a fan of IPA), so I adapted the recipe some.  Plus, I used a version of my own quick dough instead of the “refrigerate overnight” dough in the book.

The resulting pizza rocketed to the top of my all-time favorite pizzas list.  The layers of flavor are amazing!

You may notice that the 2 nicer pictures of the pizza do not have the balsamic glaze.  That’s because glaze was sitting on the stove, completely forgotten until I eaten my first slice of pizza and had all of my photography props put away. 

So the pizza was glazed, a quick photo was snapped, and we were back to eating.  I liked the pizza from first bite, but after the glaze joined party, it was love.

In short, read the book, make the pizza, don’t skip the glaze.  You’re welcome.

Lager Caprese Pizza with Stout Balsamic Glaze

Adapted from the Craft Beer Cookbook, page 104

Beer Pizza Dough

2 cups all-purpose flour, divided

2 ¼ tsp instant yeast

1 tsp sugar

¾ tsp salt

1/3 cup warm water (110-115 degrees F)

1/3 cup lager, warmed to room temperature

3 tbsp olive oil

Beer Pizza Sauce

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp onion, finely diced

1 large clove garlic, minced

¾ cup lager

3 oz tomato paste

½ tsp dried basil

½ tsp dried oregano

Balsamic Stout Glaze

3 tbsp Stout Beer

6 tbsp balsamic vinegar

½ tbsp honey

Topping

8 oz fresh mozzarella, sliced

6-8 grape tomatoes, sliced

6-8 fresh basil leaves, cut chiffonade

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.  Preheat the pizza stone, if using.

To make the sauce, heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for another minute.  Then, whisk in the beer, tomato paste, and herbs.  Simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes.  Set aside.

Meanwhile, to make the glaze, place the stout, balsamic vinegar, and honey in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.  Bring to a boil, then simmer until reduced and thickened, stirring occasionally.  Set aside.

Place 1 cup flour, yeast, sugar, and salt into the bowl of a mixer.  Mix on low with the paddle attachment.  Add the water, beer, and olive oil.  Mix until combined.  Switch to the dough hook and slowly add the remaining flour.  Mix on low for 5 minutes.  Then remove from the mixer bowl, knead once or twice by hand and set aside for 5 minutes.

Roll though dough into a thin circle (if the dough resists rolling, stop and let it rest for another 2-3 minutes).  Transfer dough to a pizza peel.

Spread the sauce over the dough.  Then, top with mozzarella slices and tomatoes.  Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until the crust is browned and the cheese is melted and beginning to brown.  Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle with basil and balsamic glaze.

Slice and serve.  Makes 1 medium pizza, serving 2-4 adults.

I'm linking this post up to March Foodies Read, hosted by Based on a True Story