Shelly's Recipe

PIZZA RUSTICA

Category: Pizza

1 lb sweet Italian sausage
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 package rapid rise yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water (120 - 130
2 tsp butter, softened
1/2 lb mozzarella, cubed (about 2 c)
7 oz roasted red peppers, chopped
1 egg, beaten
1 tbsp sesame seeds

Remove sausage from casings and crumble into a large skillet. Saute until brown, adding onions and garlic. Drain off fat and set aside to cool.

Combine 1/2 cup flour, whole wheat flour, corn meal, sugar, salt and yeast. Stir in hot water and butter and mix well. Stir in remaining 1 cup of flour to form a soft dough. Cover dough in bowl and let rest for 10 minutes. Grease a 9 inch spring form pan. Stir down dough.

With buttered fingers, press 2/3 of dough in bottom of pan. Add cheese and peppers to sausage mixture and spoon into center of dough. Spread and press filling toward edge of pan, leaving a 1/2 inch rim of dough around sides. Drop remaining dough by tbsp over filling.

With the back of spoon or buttered fingers, carefully spread dough to cover and enclose filling. The top will be rough. Cover with a cloth and let rise until doubled in size, about 20 - 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400. Brush top of loaf with beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake loaf at 400 for 25 - 30 minutes, or until loaf pulls away from sides of pan and is golden brown. Cool 5 minutes. Remove from pan. Can be served warm or room temperature. Yield: 6 servings.