Let me preface this post by saying that today is the first time I’ve ever used store-bought pizza dough. It was pretty cheap and I was pretty lazy. I was already at the store, running out of natural lighting, and had absolutely no idea what to make for dinner. Then I saw some spicy Calabrese salami and remembered being inspired by a gorgeous pan pizza by @fortheloveofthesouth.

Based on the label alone, I assumed the ball of dough in the box was fresh, soft, and ready to bake (again, my assumption based on context clues). I got home, hurriedly cooked up some Brussels sprouts, preheated the oven, and got all of my pizza ducks in a row. I take the dough out of the box and it’s SOLID as rock, even though it came from the REFRIGERATED section of the store. I panicked and defrosted the dough in the microwave, which basically par-cooked it.

My first experience with store-bought pizza dough is the reason I have trust issues.

I N G R E D I E N T S

• 1 pound of pizza dough (I recommend homemade, always)
• 1/3 cup of tomato sauce
• 4 ounces of fresh mozzarella
• Thinly sliced spicy Calabrese salami
• 1/4 pound of Brussels sprouts, chopped
• Olive oil
• Balsamic vinegar
• Honey
• Crushed red pepper flakes
• Dried oregano
• Salt and pepper to taste

D I R E C T I O N S

1. Preheat the oven to 475°F.
2. Over medium heat, sauté the Brussels sprouts with olive oil, salt, and pepper until bright green. Drizzle in some balsamic vinegar and honey. Continue cooking until almost tender.
3. Sprinkle cornmeal onto a quarter sheet pan.
4. Lightly cover the dough with olive oil and stretch with your fingers until it fits the pan. Place the dough in the pan and drizzle with more olive oil.
5. Over low heat, heat about 2 tablespoons of crushed red pepper flakes and 1/4 cup of olive oil. Turn off the heat once it starts to sizzle (about 5 minutes).
6. Top the pizza dough with sauce, oregano, Brussels sprouts, mozzarella, salami, and a drizzle of chili oil.
7. Bake for about 15 minutes, until the crust is lightly browned.