Balsamic Caramelized Garlic Pizza With Goat Cheese

Goat cheese, thyme and caramelized garlic is simply a heavenly combination! Put it on a pizza and you have it all, on a great crust.

Not only is it great-tasting, but it also requires few ingredients.

Yes, 20 cloves of garlic may seem a bit much (even by our standards, and we love garlic!), but we assure you, by caramelizing the garlic it will lose its sharpness and become sweet. And you won't have garlic breath for the rest of the evening (so you can eat it before your romantic date).

Step 1: Ingredients

To make the "no fail" dough:

250 grams all purpose flour
150 ml (5.07 fl oz) of lukewarm water
half a packet of instant yeast = 3,5 grams (or you could use fresh yeast instead)

To make the caramelized garlic:

two bulbs/heads of garlic
1 tablespoon of olive oil
200 ml (6.76 fl oz) of water
2 teaspoons of balsamic vinegar
3/4 tablespoon of sugar
1 teaspoon of finely chopped rosemary
1 teaspoon of finely chopped thyme
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
a pinch of salt

Toppings:

3 tablespoons of sour cream (crème fraîche)
150 grams of hard goat cheese
100 grams of soft goat cheese
the caramelized garlic
ground pepper
some leaves of thyme

Step 2: The "no Fail" Dough

Everybody swears to have THE ULTIMATE recipe to make pizza dough. And of course we swear ours is the ultimate. Feel free to debate the ins and outs of pizza dough in the comments. The reason for us to use this particular recipe is that it is virtually foolproof.

The main difference from other recipes is the absence of salt. Another thing is that we always make a yeast starter before adding it to the flour. The reason being that the dried yeast needs to feel at home, to feel happy for this brief moment before we kill it in the oven.

To make happy yeast:

In a plastic measuring cup add 150 ml (5.07 fl oz)of lukewarm water
Add a pinch of sugar
Add half a bag (3,5 grams) of instant yeast
Swirl the cup and cover
When a good amount of froth has appeared, your yeast is happy

Step 3: The Dough

Put the 250 grams of flour into a plastic bowl (a sturdy one) and add the happy yeast. Knead well, but be careful not to break your bowl. Cover and let it sit for approximately 1 hour in a warm spot without a draft. If you are especially fond of the yeasty flavor, you can alternatively make your dough one day in advance.

Step 4: The Balsamic Caramelized Garlic

Peel the cloves of garlic and cut off the stem. If you feel some are too big, cut them in half.
Put the cloves in a pan with a liter (33.8 fl oz) of water and bring to a boil.
Boil the cloves for three minutes.
Drain the garlic in a sieve.
Add the tablespoon of olive oil to a skillet on medium heat.
Add the cloves when the oil is hot, stir well until golden brown (that usually takes about 2 minutes).
Add the two teaspoons of balsamic vinegar and 200 ml (6.76 fl oz) of water.
Let it simmer for about 8 minutes, keep stirring.
Add the 3/4 tablespoon of sugar, teaspoon of rosemary,teaspoon of thyme and pinch of salt.
Let it simmer until the the liquid is reduced and all the garlic is covered with a nice thick syrup.
Put the garlic in a bowl.

Step 5: Roll Out the Dough

When the dough sticks too much, add some flour. Roll out the dough evenly until it is thin( about 3 mm).

Step 6: Top Your Amazing Pizza

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celcius (392 degrees Farenheit).
Put the 3 tablespoons of sour cream on the pizza. Pro tip: use a spatula!
Season with some freshly ground black pepper.
Grate your 150 grams of hard goat cheese and distribute evenly,
Crumble the 100 grams of soft goat cheese with your hands and distribute.
Top off with the caramelized garlic
Put it in the oven for around 20 minutes (keep checking)