This is a fun, easy way to make an otherwise ordinary meal feel extra special. This post is just about shaping and baking the dough. Start with my low sodium pizza dough recipe, or my whole wheat pizza dough. You can also find my favorite low sodium sauces and cheeses in the pantry favorites section of the blog.
More links to my favorite pizza recipes: pizza bianca, barbecue chicken pan pizza, mushroom and caramelized onion pizza, sausage and kale pizza, grilled bruschetta pizza, and a lemon ricotta pizza.
Or use the pizza dough to make some heart-shaped pretzels!
1) Shape the dough: Stretch your pizza dough into a standard circle, and then place it on a lightly oiled baking sheet (with or without parchment paper). Lightly oil your hands and push the dough to shape it into a triangular shape. The oil will make shaping the heart much easier. Then make a very small slit (about 1/2 inch) at the top of the dough to make the top dimple of the heart (I'm making up all this terminology as I go, hopefully it makes enough sense). Fold the cut ends down and pinch the dough where it was cut to close up the dimple. Use your hands to press and push the dough out to form the the rounded top parts, and pull the dough to elongate the heart. For the lower point, pinch the dough and twist it one or twice so it stays sharp. If the dough pulls back a lot as you try to shape it, cover with a towel and let it rest for 10 minutes and then try again.
Another option is to use a cookie cutter. When I made them this way the dough puffed up and was more like an English muffin than pizza dough so I treated them like English muffins, cut them in half, and then baked them brushed with some oil, garlic and herbs. They were really delicious. If you use cookie cutters, roll up the excess dough and then let it rest 15-20 minutes before stretching it out again.
2) Par-bake the dough: I par-bake the dough on a pizza stone at 475°F for about 3-4 minutes, then let it cool, add toppings, and then bake again with toppings for another 7-8 minutes. If the crust is getting to brown before your toppings are done, turn the temperature down to 425°F.
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