Eggplant Pizza

How to prepare eggplant pizza

1. Mix the flour with salt. Make a well in the center, sprinkle the yeast there, then pour in the water. With circular motions, start bringing the flour into the center, mixing until all flour is absorbed. You'll get a soft and sticky dough. Stop immediately once the flour is incorporated into the liquid - do not knead the dough.
2. Place the dough in an oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise at room temperature (22°C) for 18 hours. If it's warmer in your house, the rising time will be shorter. Watch for the dough to double in volume.
3. Turn the risen dough onto a floured work surface, being careful to deflate it as little as possible.
4. Cut the dough into 4 equal pieces.
5. Stretch the pieces by hand and fold them into quarters. Let them rise on the work surface for 1 hour, covered with a plastic bag.
   * If you're not preparing all pieces at once, after they've risen, stretch and fold them into quarters again, wrap in plastic wrap and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days; take them out of the fridge 2 hours before using.
6. Place a piece of granite/marble for pizza in the oven (this is ideal). If you don't have one, improvise by using a cast iron pan placed upside down in the oven (that's what I did). Preheat the oven to maximum (240°C in my case).
8. Slice the eggplant into thin 1/2 cm slices (you need 8-12 eggplant slices). Brush with oil and grill them on a grill pan for 3 minutes per side (until you get nice grill marks). The eggplant can be prepared a few hours ahead. Keep covered with plastic wrap.
9. Prepare the béchamel sauce (following this recipe with 250 ml milk). Prepare the seasoned parmesan (following this recipe, without garlic, from 50 g parmesan). Slice the mozzarella thinly or grate it.
10. Stretch the dough pieces into thin sheets, leaving the edges slightly thicker. The best way to stretch the dough is: take the piece in your hand, flatten it slightly, then start stretching it over your fists. This way, the air bubbles won't escape from the dough (see photo 6). I shaped my dough pieces into rectangles. I stretched the dough on parchment paper.
11. Spread a thin layer of béchamel sauce on the dough. Sprinkle with seasoned parmesan. Place 2-3 grilled eggplant slices on top, side by side, and sprinkle with a little salt. Top with mozzarella. If desired, add some pepper, chili flakes, or oregano.
12. Lift the pizza using the parchment paper underneath. Place it in the oven. Switch the oven to grill mode (heat coming from above) and let it bake for about 8-10 minutes. After 2 minutes, I removed the parchment paper from underneath to make the crust crispier.
14. Let it rest for 5 minutes, then serve. It's best served hot.

Print