Mexican Pizzas Using Nixtamasa

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post in collaboration with Latina Bloggers Connect and MASECA.  All opinions are my own.

Did you get a chance to see my first post using Maseca?  If not, you should! But first…Today I’m sharing a pizza dough recipe that uses one of Maseca’s new products called Nixtamasa.  Nixtamasa is similar to the Maseca corn flour that we are used to, except this one produces tortillas that are softer and more pliable. One of the things I love about using Maseca corn flour is its versatility and ease of use when cooking with children.  I’ve lost count how many times my little girl and I have cooked with Maseca products.  Her favorite of course is making tortillas because she has her own little tortilla press that she uses.  We stand at the table side-by-side,  mix, roll, press, and cook our big and little tortillas.      

Another one of our favorite meals to cook together is PIZZA!  She had been asking me to make some pizza lately so, I took this opportunity to create a pizza dough that would include the wonderful flavor of the Nixtamasa corn flour.  The result was a perfect Mexican Pizza!  A cross between a traditional soft and airy pizza, with the flavors you’d expect from a sope or pupusa.  It’s the best of both worlds on a plate! 

Ingredients you will need:

First step is to warm the water for about 40 seconds in the microwave, then dissolve the sugar completely in the warm water.

Add the yeast and give it a little stir.

After a couple minutes it will start to foam up at the top which means the yeast water is ready for use.

In another bowl add the Nixtamasa, regular flour, and salt.  Combine together well.

Add the yeast water.

Mix the water and flour starting with your fingers…

until it starts to resemble a ball of dough.

In the same bowl, add the olive oil.  With your fingers or pastry brush, spread the oil to coat the dough and bowl together.

Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let it rest in a warm place for a minimum of two hours.

After 2….or 3 or 4 hours later, the dough will be spongy and moist.  This is one of those recipes where you don’t have to be precise on how long to let it rise.  As long as it gets a chance to rise for a minimum of 2 hours, it should be fine.  Anything beyond two hours is a bonus.

At this point you can either divide the pizza dough into 2-4 pieces (depending on how many different pizzas you want) or roll it out into one large pizza.  We chose to make 4 individual pizzas so that we can customize them to our liking.I used a cylindrical glass because my rolling pin handles where getting in the way of the edge of the baking sheets.You can also use parchment paper if you are worried about the dough sticking to the baking sheet.

After you’ve rolled each ball of dough out, cover them completely with a kitchen towel and let the dough rise one more time for about 2 hours.Be patient! Trust me.  You have to let the yeast do it’s magic.

When you are ready to assemble the pizzas, preheat your oven to 425 degrees.After rising for a second time, push in the sides of the pizza to look like a sope. This step will keep the toppings from sliding out as the cheese melts.  Poke holes with a fork to prevent the dough from bubbling as it bakes in the oven.

Bake in the oven at 425 degrees for 15 minutes.

Olives
Chorizo
roasted and sliced poblano peppers

The cheese and roasted poblano pepper pizza was my favorite!

So which one of these sounds good to you?  Have you got your own favorite toppings? What would you top your Nixtamasa pizza with?!

This is a sponsored post in collaboration with Latina Bloggers Connect and MASECA.  All opinions are my own.  For more great recipes, follow MASECA with hashtag #MasecaNosGusta, or on Facebook.