If pizza time is your favorite time. Then this cheesy heart shaped pizza will steal your heart. Packed with flavor, classic toppings, and a Holy Trinity tomato sauce.
There is nothing like a cute self serving heart shaped pizza. Its effortless, extremely cute and great for any occasion. The first time I made heart shaped pizza was Valentine’s Day for my fiancé. The first time I made pizza was way back, back into time, in the 90’s. As a kid almost every other Friday I would make pizza with my mom or my parents would just a buy a pie. But, nothing could ever be better, I mean besides a true NY slice. Nothing compared to making a pizza with my mom when I was little. Once we made the pizza we would have mommy and daughter time. Sometimes we watched movies/TV Shows like Pocahontas, Friends, or Providence. I really did enjoy those Fridays.
As an adult, I learned how to make pizza…the Italian way. Some good friends of the family from the Province of Reggio Calabria, Aguglia Italy taught me the right way. Once tasting pizza the most authentic way without going to Italy, you evolve. Keep in mind, making pizza this way can be rather time consuming. So I am going to take the time to share with you how to get the taste without losing too much time.
The Dough
The best pizza dough really needs to be homemade, but when your short on time store brought is perfectly fine. To get the “homemade field” of the dough, just put roughly 1-2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Leave the dough at room temperature for at least 1-2 hours. You’ll be all set to go. Once, the dough has settled. Place a few tablespoons of flour in your working area. Break off a handful of dough and begin to knead it out. Once it’s flat enough, take your pizza cutter and make that classic heart shape.
The Sauce
As the dough is resting, you have two options relax or get to cookin’. If you choose to relax, I recommend using the Rao’s Homemade margherita pizza sauce. This brand does not use any preservatives and will get you close to the authentic Holy Trinity sauce. The Holy Trinity sauce has onions, carrots, celery, and basil. This is not a paid advertisement, I just really like their sauce when I’m not making it from scratch. If you would like to make the sauce from scratch check out my tomato sauce recipe.
The Toppings
This is the time to get creative! If your going for the classic pepperoni pizza, I recommend purchasing meat without nitrates and nitrites. I personally love a pineapple pizza. Try to use less cheese and toppings. Less is more in this case. We are aiming for the perfect bite and not a sloppy Joe. I love a mixture of fresh mozzarella and low-moisture mozzarella. I like to use a few pinch pieces of fresh mozz. and a small handful of shredded mozz.
The Oven
It’s important to turn the oven on, at least 30 minutes before use. The oven needs to warm up to the true temperature. I like to use 550 degrees F as the oven temperature. This will reduce your bake time and get you that restaurant quality crisp. Just right before placing that amazing heart shaped pizza in the oven, add a fresh garlic buttery sauce to the crust.
Heart Shaped Pizza
Ingredients
- 1 pound Store brought dough Best: Whole Foods, Wegman's, and Trader Joe's
- 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil few extra drizzles
- 3/4 cup Favorite tomato sauce
- 10 slices Pepperoni
- 1 cup Shredded mozzarella
- 1 packaged Sliced fresh mozzarella
- 1 glove Garlic
- 2 tablespoons Butter
- 1 handful Oregano and basil
Instructions
- Place the pizza dough in a medium sized bowl and coat with the olive oil. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to sit at room temperature for 2 hours.
- In the meantime, setup the oven rack. Place one rack on the lowest oven rack. Preheat the oven to 550 degrees F.
- Chop the oregano, basil, and garlic finely and set aside.
- Lightly place all-purpose flour on the counter-top. Grab a piece of the pizza dough. Using your fingers spread out the dough. Until its stretch out and flat. Leave it to rest for 5 minutes.
- Using a pizza cutter or kitchen shears cut the pizza dough into a large heart shape. Leaving the dough scraps to the side.
- Place the heart shaped dough onto your pizza pan with parchment paper.
- Spread a few teaspoons of the tomato sauce on the dough in a thin layer. Scatter your fresh or shredded mozzarella on top.
- Top off the pizza with pepperoni slices.
- Use a pastry brush to spread the garlic herb butter onto the crust of the pizza.
- Bake until the crust and cheese is golden brown, 5-7 minutes.
- Let it cool down for 3 minutes before slicing and serving. Repeat these steps for more heart shaped pizza.