Pizza Christmas tree

Christmas is in the air! If you are all about this time of the year and want to impress your guests with a special appetizer, this easy and quick pizza tree is such a beautiful idea to bring on the table on Christmas eve. Since it bakes in less than 20 minutes, you can actually assemble your pine tree in the morning and cook it last minute when your family is on the way or pre-bake it and reheat it in your toaster oven for 5 minutes. Happy stress-free holidays!

#pizza #minipizza #pizzette #Christmas #pizzatree #Christmaslunch

Ingredients:

Dough

• 240ml lukewarm water

• 1 tsp honey (optional)

• 2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil

• 4g yeast

• 400g flour

• 8g salt

Topping

• 200 g tomato puree

• 1 tsp sugar

• 1 pinch salt

• 1 pinch pepper

• 1/2 tsp of garlic powder

• 1 Tbs oregano

• 150 g mozzarella cheese, cubed and drained

Method:

1. Grease an ovenproof tray with a Tbs of olive oil or cover with baking paper and set aside;

2. In a bowl, combine all topping ingredients except the mozzarella cheese and set aside;

3. Combine yeast with 150g of the total water and and let rest until it bubbles (you may add a tsp of honey which will help activate the yeast);

4. Form a volcano with the flour and mix in the activated yeast. Add in the remaining water and keep on mixing with the help of a wooden spoon. When the dough starts coming together add in salt and 1 Tbs olive oil. Keep on working the dough with your hands until all ingredients are combined then let rest for at least one hour in an oiled container covered with a damp cloth;

5. When the dough has doubled in size, work it quickly on a slightly floured surface. Then cut it into 16 pieces and use the palm of your hands to form 16 little balls. Arrange dough balls on the previously oiled oven-proof tray so as to form the shape of a Christmas tree (see picture), cover with cling wrap and let rest for about 30 minutes at room temperature or for 2 hours in the fridge;

6. When you’re ready to bake your pizza tree, spread a tsp spoon of tomato sauce on each mini pizza and cook at 220 Celsius for around 10 minutes on the mid-bottom rack of your oven, then top each mini pizza with mozzarella cheese and cook on the middle rack of your oven for 8 more minutes. Finally, move it to the top rack and broil for 1 minute. Merry Christmas! 🎄