Brussels sprouts. I was a full-on hater of those little garbage balls for the majority of my life. It wasn't until about 6 months ago that I tasted my first ROASTED Brussels sprout, and my taste buds nearly leaped out of my mouth to do a happy dance. I'm talking like, Riverdance, people. It was bananas. NO - IT WAS BRUSSELS SPROUTS!

After that healthy revelation was made, I began pairing them with everything. In our last apartment, John would burst in the door after getting home from work and shoot me an immediate eyeroll, "Seriously Kir?? Brussels sprouts AGAIN??" (He apparently knew I was cooking them because you could smell them all the way down the looooong hallway....ooops.) One thing I hadn't tried them on yet though? Pizza. My beloved pizza. We eat it frequently.....fervently, even. The melty cheese, the crunchy crust, the signature flavor of the sprouts - just yum. Yum yum yum. You have to try it next time you plan on pizza for dinner (pretending to be a professional pizza twirler is a must, as well). Click "read more" below to get the recipe details!
 

For the pizza dough: 
1 cup lukewarm water
1 Tbs. honey 
2 tsp. olive oil 
1 envelope (2 1/2 tsp.) active dry yeast 
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, or more as needed 
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour 
1 tsp. kosher salt
Dried herbs to taste, optional

For the pizza toppings:
garlic-oil, for brushing (put a little garlic in a little olive oil and let sit for a few minutes)
fresh or shredded mozzarella cheese
4 or 5 brussel sprouts, shaved thin on a mandoline or cut very carefully!
handful of baby bell peppers, sliced thin.
crushed red pepper flakes, optional


To make the dough, in a small bowl, stir together the lukewarm water, the honey and 1 tsp. of the olive oil until blended. Sprinkle the yeast on top and let stand until foamy, about 15 minutes.

By hand: In a large bowl, using a wooden spoon, stir together 1 cup of the all-purpose flour, the whole-wheat flour and the salt. Pour in the yeast mixture and stir, adding enough of the remaining 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, or more if needed, to form a soft dough.

By stand mixer: Combine 1 cup of the all-purpose flour, the whole-wheat flour, herbs (I used Herbes de Provence) and the salt and pulse a few times to blend. Pour in the yeast mixture and pulse until combined. Add enough of the remaining 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, or more if needed, and mix on low to medium speed until a soft dough is formed.

Turn the dough out onto a floured work area and knead until the surface of the dough is very smooth, about 5 minutes, adding more all-purpose flour as needed. The dough should be soft but not sticky.

Lightly oil a large bowl with the remaining 1 tsp. olive oil. Form the dough into a ball and place in the bowl. Turn to coat with the oil. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.

Punch the dough down and let rest for 10 minutes. (You can make the dough up to 1 day in advance, punch it down, place it in a plastic bag and refrigerate it until ready to shape and bake.) If making individual pizzas, divide the dough into 4 equal portions.

Position a rack in the lowest position in an oven and preheat oven as hot as it possibly can go (500 degrees on most home ovens). Place pizza stone or pan in oven to preheat with the oven - a hot pan makes for a better crust that won't stick!

On a lightly floured work surface, gently stretch or roll out the dough. Carefully remove the pans from the oven, sprinkle with cornmeal, and transfer the dough to the pan(s). Spread the oil, cheese and toppings on the pizza.

Bake until the crust is nicely browned, 12-15 minutes. Spray the bottom of the oven with water at regular intervals 3 times during the first 5 to 10 minutes of baking. 

*recipe adapted from williams-sonoma cookbook i own (ps the recipe in the link is ahhhhmazing)