Sweet summer corn and smoky shishito peppers come together to make one delicious corn, shishito, and buffalo mozzarella pizza.
Pizza night == the best night.
For SO MANY REASONS!!
For one thing, it’s pretty much the only dinner that I make that gets absolutely zero complaints from my 4 year old food critic. *Sometimes* I’ll get a good pasta night out of her, but even that is becoming fewer and farther between.
But also, IT’S PIZZA. Can’t go wrong there.
We will never say no to a classic margherita or “pizza with red sauce” as Remy calls it, but one of the true joys of making pizza at home is that you can play around with toppings and flavors that you would never find in your average pizzeria.
For instance: CORN ON PIZZA. It’s a game changer.
In the past I’ve made a pretty fantastic (not that I’m biased at all) corn, zucchini, and candied jalapeno pizza, but this corn and shishito pizza is even easier and just as fabulous.
Corn and shishitos get roasted in the oven so that they’re all charred and sweet and tender, then tossed on top of my favorite thick and chewy pizza dough along with parmesan cheese and buffalo mozzarella.
It’s sweet, smoky, cheesy, savory, and exactly what your summer pizza night needs.
- 400 grams (1? cups warm water)
- 4 grams (1¼ tsp) active dry yeast
- 500 grams (3?) cup bread flour
- 15 grams (2½ tsp) fine sea salt
- 4 large ears fresh corn on the cob
- 12 oz shishito peppers, stems removed
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- ¾ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- 9.5 oz buffalo mozzarella, torn in bits
- Mix together 350 grams (about 1.5 cups) of the warm water and the yeast in a large bowl. Let it sit for at least 5 minutes or until the yeast begins to grow and bubble, and the water becomes foamy. Add the flour to the water/yeast mixture and stir until it comes together and all of the flour has been incorporated. Cover with plastic wrap and rest at room temperature for 30-40 minutes.
- Next, fold the dough. To do this, wet one of your hands and dig it under the bottom of the dough, scooping it from the side (between the dough and the bowl). Stretch and fold that piece of the dough up and over itself onto the center of the dough. Rotate the bowl a quarter turn and repeat until you have gone 360 degrees and are back where you started. Cover again with plastic wrap and rest for another 30-40 minutes.
- Whisk together the salt and the remaining 50 grams (~3 tbsp) warm water. Pour this over the top of the dough. Repeat the stretch-and-fold method above, trying to incorporate as much water as possible into the dough. To do this you will likely need to go around for at least 1-2 more 360 turns and even then some of the water may still rest at the bottom of the bowl. Cover again and rest for 30-40 minutes.
- Wet your hand and fold using the above method one last time, doing only one 360 degree turn, this time being more gentle so as not to deflate the bubbles that are starting to form. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for 12-36 hours.
- When you are ready to make the pizza, let the dough come to room temperature for 1 hour to come to room temperature.
- Heat oven to 550F with a baking steel or pizza stone in the oven, if you have one.
- Shuck the corn and place the corn cobs on a baking sheet along with the shishito peppers. Drizzle with the olive oil and toss on the pan to ensure everything is evenly coated. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
- Roast until lightly charred, tossing a few times, until charred all over, about 6-8 minutes for the peppers and 10-15 minutes for the corn. Remove the roasted corn to a cutting board and, when cool enough to handle, cut the kernels from the cob.
- Grease a half sheet pan with olive oil and spread the dough until it reaches the edges of the pan, nudging it with your fingers, trying as much as possible not to deflate all of the bubbles.
- Scatter the corn and peppers over the dough in an even layer. Sprinkle the parmigiano-reggiano over the top. Bake for 10 minutes, then rotate the pan, and bake for another 10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and immediately top with the buffalo mozzarella. Allow to stand for 5 minutes, or until the cheese has melted a bit. Cut into squares with scissors.
What an awesome combination! YUM.
We love playing with pizza toppings!