Mini Christmas Pizza Bites 2 Ways

Last year we did  Christmas brownies 4 ways and when it first came out, it was one of the videos that has the most views.

It was one of the video's that kept us going, making more videos as it shows us someone out there is watching them.

So this year, we came up with this 2 way pizza bite, one vegetarian and the other classic pepperoni and cheese.

The colour combination just clicked pepperoni red is totally a stocking and spinach green is sure to be a christmas tree.

We made it bite size for our early get together but you sure could make a normal big size pizza and cut the shapes with a knife. 

A big Christmas tree would be so cool, you can add a lot more different toppings as ornaments and put layers of mozzarella cheese to make it look like a snow covered tree.

Christmas with pizza? Best Xmas eva!!

Christmas Pizza Bites

Yields 24 bites

Ingredients 

Dough: 

85g (1/3 cup) Water 

1g (1/4 tsp ) Active-dry yeast 

140g (1 cup plus 2 tbsp) AP flour 

Pinch of sugar 

Pinch of salt 

1g (1/2 tsp) Dried italian seasoning 

Spinach cream sauce: 

70g (1 cup packed) Spinach leaves

60g (1/4 cup) Water 

28g (2 tbsp) Butter 

55g (2 oz) Cream cheese, soften 

1 clove of Garlic, finely grated 

30g (1 oz) Parmigiano Reggiano, grated 

2g (1/2 tsp) Dry parsley flakes 

Black Pepper, to taste 

Red pizza sauce (your favourite recipe/ store bought)

Topping: 

Mozzarella cheese, grated 

Pepperoni 

Yellow bell pepper 

Red bell pepper 

Method 

Spinach cream sauce 

1. In a blender, blend water and spinach until really fine, sieve if needed 

2. In a sauce pan, on medium heat, slowly heat butter until melted 

3. Add in garlic and sauté for 30 seconds 

4. Add in cream cheese and slowly drizzle in the spinach juice, stirring it continuously to make a smooth sauce 

5. Let it boil for 1 minute, pour in the Parmigiano Reggiano and stir 

6. Add in the dry parsley flakes and ground black pepper to taste 

7. Stir the sauce and turn off the heat 

8. Transfer into a container and let it cool to thicken 

Pizza 

1. Preheat the oven to 250°C (500°F) 

2. In a small bowl, heat the water until lukewarm  

3. Add the yeast to the water and stir to dissolve 

4. Sprinkle a pinch of sugar in the mixture and let it sit for 5 minutes 

5. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, italian seasoning 

6. Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in the yeast mixture 

7. Stir with a spoon to combine everything together 

8. When it comes together into a cohesive ball, knead the dough until all the flour is incorporated, it should feel smooth and elastic to the touch, a little moist and just slightly tacky 

9. Divide the dough in two and cover with plastic wrap 

10. Let is rest for 15 min, makes it easier to roll 

11. Meanwhile, cut pepperoni, bell peppers into desired shapes and pattern 

12. Starting with 1 portion of the dough, with a rolling pin, roll the dough into 6mm (1/4 inch) thick 

13. Use a stocking-shaped cookie cutter to cut out as many base 

14. Remove the scraps and form them into a ball and cover with plastic wrap 

15. Spoon on the red pizza sauce into the center of base and use the back of a spoon to spread it out to the edges 

16. Bake them for about 3 minutes 

17. Remove the pizzas from the oven and sprinkle generous amount of mozzarella cheese on each one 

18. Place the pepperoni on the cheese to make the design 

19. Bake for 5 minutes, until edges are golden and cheese is bubbling 

20. With the second portion, roll the dough into 6mm (1/4 inch) thick 

21. Use a xmas tree-shaped cookie cutter to cut out as many base 

22. Remove the scraps and combine with the first ball of scraps and cover with plastic wrap 

23. Spoon on spinach sauce into the center of base and use the back of a spoon to spread it out to the edges 

24. Bake them for about 3 minutes 

25. Remove the pizzas from the oven and sprinkle a little mozzarella cheese on some to make snow topped trees 

26. Place bell pepper cut outs as ornaments to make the design 

27. Adhere a yellow bell pepper star to the tip with a little sauce 

28. Bake for 5 minutes, until edges are golden and cheese is bubbling 

29. Put them on a large platter and served hot 

Tips 

I. If you have a baking stone, put it on a rack in the lower-middle part of the oven before preheating 

II. You can roll out the scraps to make more pizza bites or roll it in a circle to make a small pizza 

III. For the green sauce you can go for store bought pesto but it will taste different, our sauce recipe is essentially a white sauce with a tint of spinach, makes a great vegetarian pizza 

IV. You can use store bought pizza crust, our recipe is a thin crust, or you can opt for a homemade normal pizza dough 

V. Spinach cream sauces yields a lot more than for the dough made, you can either make a pasta to finish it or make pizza dough to make delicious “dough > spinach cream > mozzarella > pepperoni” pizza 

Inspired by Pillsbury’s website

Links to Supplies:

Xmas Cookie Cutter

Nonstick Silpat for Kneading

Carving Knife

Pizza Stone

Hope you guys enjoy this weeks [How To's]

See you next week :)

xo D