Pizza is the perfect food for casual entertaining, and these Mushroom Thyme Pizzas are so simple, rustic and classy all at the same time!
Homemade pizza is one of our favourite meals to prepare for guests; so laid-back, and who doesn’t like pizza? Nobody we know.
We often make these into pizzettas, which are simply mini pizzas (they just sound more hipster). Regardless, I either make a big salad to serve with this, or simply toss a big bowl of arugula tossed with a drizzle of good quality olive oil and guests pile it on top of their cooked pizza. One plate to clean. I like it already.
We LOVE this pizza because it is so different! You really have to use the best quality ingredients you can find as they really shine through in a dish this simple. We typically use a couple different types of mushrooms to have different flavours and textures. Of course you can use vegan cheese to make this vegan.
Making your own dough is really satisfying and not nearly as hard as it may seem. The semolina flour strengthens the dough, but truly you can use all-purpose flour or a good bread flour (or a typo 00 flour that you can find in any Italian market or most supermarkets), should you wish. You can also use whole wheat flour to make it a bit healthier if you want.
Now, if you are a planner and like to make things ahead I highly recommend trying our pizza crust recipe from the Fraiche Food Full Hearts cookbook – it’s incredible (my favourite) but has an 18 hour rise (why it’s incredible). I have to say though, this one below is pretty bang on and easy to work with.
For completely unplugged entertaining try setting out the pizza toppings and letting guests assemble their own – if you’re super casual, they can even shape their own crusts! THIS is how we like to entertain.
If you make these Mushroom Thyme Pizzas let us know in the comments below! For something similar but super impressive, try this Apple Thyme Focaccia… so yummy!
Mushroom Thyme Pizza
Mushroom Thyme Pizza
These Mushroom Thyme Pizzas are such a treat and make for such a fun pizza night with the family! With simple toppings, the ingredients really shine. You can use instant yeast, simply mix the yeast into the dry ingredients and skip activating the yeast (don't modify the other ingredients).
Ingredients
Pizza Crust: (makes 8-10 small pizzettas)
- 2 ½ cups lukewarm water
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast (or 1 x 8 oz packages)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 150 grams semolina flour (1 cup) (plus extra for cooking)*
- 550-800 grams all purpose flour (4- 5 cups) (use Tipo '00 flour if you can)
- 2 teaspoons salt
Funghi (Mushroom & Thyme) Toppings
- olive oil (enough to brush over your crust)
- mixed sliced mushrooms (around 4 cups) (I used cremini, button and Portobello, thinly sliced)
- fresh mozzarella cheese torn or sliced (or vegan mozza, shredded)
- fresh grated parmesan or asiago cheese (or vegan parm)
- fresh thyme
Instructions
Directions for the Dough:
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In a large measuring cup, mix together your lukewarm water and sugar until the sugar dissolves. Sprinkle in the yeast and let it sit for approximately 5-10 minutes, until the yeast starts to ferment and bubble. Stir in the olive oil and set aside.
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Place the semolina flour and 2 cups of all purpose flour along with the salt in a large bowl and whisk together. Create a well in the center.
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Pour the wet mixture into the well along and stir together with a fork or wooden spoon until it is well mixed. Transfer the dough to a well floured clean surface and sprinkle extra flour on the dough.
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Knead the dough for approximately 10 minutes, until the dough looks smooth and stretchy, adding extra flour as you go, being careful not to add too much to keep the dough from being too stiff. The dough should feel soft and stretchy when pulled (just slightly stiffer than my bread dough if you have made that).
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Place the ball of dough in a large bowl coated with olive oil, dust the top of the dough with flour, and cover with a clean dish towel and place in a warm draft-free area for about 1-1 1/2 hours, until the dough has doubled in size. Punch the dough down. At this point you can either refrigerate the dough overnight (or up to 2 days, covered with plastic or beeswax wrap and occasionally punched down) or divide the dough into 4-8 portions and let the dough balls sit to relax while preheating your oven (depending on how big you want your pizzas). If you have refrigerated your dough be sure to bring it to room temperature before you are ready to cook.
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Once ready to cook, heat your oven to the highest heat setting (500F for most ovens) and place your pizza stone in the oven for 20-30 minutes.
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Using your hands, form your pizza crusts 15-20 minutes before cooking your pizza on a flat surface dusted generously with semolina flour until it is nice and thin. It's best to do this on a pizza peel to easily transfer to the hot stone (the paddle that they use in those fancy restaurants).
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Carefully transfer your formed pizza dough to the stone, add your toppings as per below and bake until the pizza is golden brown, about 8-10 minutes. Cut and serve hot.
Topping Directions:
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Drizzle the olive oil evenly on the prepared pizza crust, leaving a 1/2” margin along the edge. This is optional but makes for a delicious crust.
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Layer with the mushrooms and finish with a thin layer of the cheeses. Remove the leaves from one sprig of thyme and spread it evenly over the pizza; garnish the pizza with additional thyme sprigs once the pizza is cooked.
Recipe Notes
*you can, should you wish, skip the semolina flour and use just all-purpose flour
I’ve never been to Italy but it’s guaranteed this pizza is as good as it is in Italy ?and I KNOW that because I’ve had it at Tori & Charles place!!!
Just wondering if this dough is typically wetter than others. I followed the recipe to a T and it seems quite wet??
hi Andrea, you just need to keep adding flour until the dough isn’t so wet – you should have a semi-firm but pliable dough. I will try to make it on IG again sometime soon. Did you use the full range of flour?
Hi tori
I did keep adding flour and it turned out GREAT!! I used the “00” flour and semolina mix as you called for. Our second pizza I added hot Italian sausage to, and it was AMAZING!!
amazing so glad to hear Andrea!
I had the same issue. It was pancake consistency. Do I just keep adding flour to the mixing bowl until I get a dough and then kneed after? Also, does the olive oil go into the yeast liquid?
Thanks!
We have also had the pleasure of joining a gathering at Tori & Charles table for pizza night. Hands down this is THE best pizza outside of Italy!!!! GREAT WORK TORI!!!
this looks great.
This looks awesome!!! It looks very similar to a pizza I had in Calgary, AB at a place called Una…
if you’re ever in Calgary make sure to check it out! Thanks for sharing- I am definitely going to try this but instead of regular olive oil I may try truffle olive oil!
XOXO
Holly
http://www.teachmestyle.com
Fortunately, I have the flours, yeast, etc., so I can make up this morning for dinner tonight or this weekend. There’s a restaurant close by where I had recently enjoyed a similar pizzetta with mushrooms, cheese (maybe Fontina) and olive oil. Delicious and I’ve been wanting to make myself. Googled pizzetta with mushrooms and I landed on this page. I’m clapping and saying, “Yay.” Now, who to invite over and share. Happy 2020!
Yum! So glad you found us, happy 2020 to you too!
Just wondering if I can pick your brain about your favourite pizza stone and pizza peel? I have been researching online and I want to try this recipe and the one in your cookbook but I need the right “gadgets” before I make it.
Also, I want to say a BIG thank you for all your hard work and fantastic recipes Tori! I’m always trying your recipes…I made your spanakopita tonight and it was a HUGE hit! So thank you…thank you…thank you💜
Can I make this recipe without semolina flour? Currently stuck at home with all this covid stuff going on and I only have all purpose flour.
Hi Diana yes! Just sub the semolina for all purpose flour! Happy baking!
I made the pizza dough from your cookbook. Amazing!!!! Best homemade pizza dough I have ever made. I have a question though. When we rolled out the dough it kept springing back and ended up being a thicker crust than we wanted. Is there a tip out there to keep the dough from rolling back in?
Hi April! If you slightly roll out the dough before you want to form your pizza and let it rest you will be able to stretch it out more without it springing back! Glad you liked it!
This was a delicious pizza! I used fresh thyme from the garden and didn’t have semolina due to the flour shortages so used bread flour instead. It took a bit more flour to make the perfect consistency, but tasted amazing. I also used lactose-free mozzarella and parmesan and it still turned out. Would highly recommend!
So glad you enjoyed!
I can’t wait to try this! But I don’t have a pizza stone or anything like that. Can I make it simply on a baking sheet? Are there any alterations I should make in that case? Thank you for the help!!
Hi Robyn sorry for the delay! Yes you can make it on a baking sheet, it just may not be as crispy!
Im definitely making pizza this weekend using your recipe! However that seems like a lot of dough for just myself! Would I be able to put some of the dough in the freezer to use for other nights or would I be better off cutting the recipe in half?
Hi I was wondering if your 18 hour rise dough is on your blog. I couldn’t find it.
Thanks!
It is in the cookbook!
Hi, I mixed together the ingredients for the pizza dough from the book last night, but the dough is very sticky…should I have added more flour? Should the dough be on the wetter side?
I love this pizza dough. It is now my go to whenever we have pizza. It’s just fantastic.
Can you make half a recipe? Or would it be better to make a full recipe and freeze half? It is my favorite pizza dough and I have tried many!!!