Mushroom Madness Pizza (from ‘The Last Of Us’)

Makes 1 large pizza (or 2 medium sized pizzas) 🍕

With ‘The Last of Us’ TV show currently captivating the world, I thought it’s the perfect opportunity to make a meal inspired by The Last Of Us.

I’ve recently been playing through the breathtaking apocalyptic adventure game (which the tv show is based off), and noticed the detail of a Mushroom Madness Pizza early on in one of the small abandoned pizza shops with the main character Joel – so that’s what we’re making today: Mushroom Madness Pizza!

Don’t worry, the mushrooms we’ve picked up from the grocery store are perfectly safe and there will be no cordyceps or clickers in our kitchen today!

Mushroom-Infused Pizza Dough Ingredients
▢ 1 cup warm water (240 ml)
▢ 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar (12.5 grams)
▢ 1 Tablespoon Active Dry Yeast (9 grams)
▢ 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil (9 gramsl)
▢ 2 cups Flour (Type 00 or Plain/All Purpose Flour) (300 grams)
▢ 1 teaspoon Fine Sea Salt (5 grams)
▢ Mushrooms (roughly 100 grams)

Cheesy Mushroom Sauce Ingredients
▢ Mushrooms (roughly 100 grams)
▢ Pepperoni (roughly 100 grams)
▢ Garlic (1 Tablespoon)
▢ Ricotta Cheese (6 heaped Tablespoons)
▢ Parmesan Cheese (roughly 1/3 cup )
▢ Salt and Pepper (a pinch of each)

Pizza Topping Ingredients
▢ Mushrooms (roughly 100 grams)
▢ Extra Pepperoni (a few slices to top your pizza) about 100 grams
▢ Cheddar Cheese (roughly 1/3 cup)
▢ Parmesan Cheese (roughly 1/3 cup)

Instructions
1. Mix the water, sugar and yeast in a large mixing bowl. Let it sit for 5 minutes (until it becomes frothy and bubbly) then stir in the olive oil.

2. Add the flour and salt to the bowl and mix with a spatula until a ball forms (the dough will still be slightly sticky but if it's too sticky just add a little flour).

3. On a floured surface, knead it into a smooth dough for about 5 minutes, adding a little extra flour if needed (if it’s too sticky).

4. Cover the bowl with a lid (or a damp tea towel) and let it rise for 30 minutes.

5. Whilst you're waiting for your dough to rise, it's time to clean your mushrooms with a damp cloth and chop them up into small pieces. Then chop up your pepperoni and set it aside for later.

6. Adding olive oil into a heated pan, sauté all the mushrooms (until slightly caremalized).

7. Now is a good time to preheat your oven to 260°C (500°F) and place a sturdy baking tray (or a pizza stone) in the oven while it preheats.

8. Remove roughly 2/3rds of the cooked mushrooms from the pan and place on a plate. Make sure you leave 1/3 of the cooked mushrooms in the pan (this will be for our cheesy mushroom sauce. The remaining cooked mushrooms you have removed will be for adding into the dough + as topping)...this is a 'Mushroom Madness Pizza' after all!

9. In the heated pan with the remaining 1/3rd of the cooked mushrooms, toss in the chopped pepperoni until fragrant (on a medium heat). Then add the garlic, ricotta cheese, and pepper. Turn off the heat and mix through the parmesan cheese until combined (this is our pizza sauce).

10. By now our dough should be done rising so dust a flat surface (and a rolling pin) with flour, lightly mix in 1/3rds of the cooked mushrooms we set aside from earlier and roll out the dough into a pizza shape.

11. Transfer your mushroom-infused pizza dough onto some parchment paper and pop in on your pre-heated baking tray (or pizza stone). Pre-bake the pizza dough for 5 minutes before pulling out of the oven.

12. Spread your 'cheesy mushroomy pepperoni sauce' over your pizza and top with extra chopped mushrooms (the remaining 1/3 from earlier, and the extra Cheddar and Parmesan Cheeses and extra pepperoni slices) before placing into the oven to bake for 10 minutes (or until the bottom of the crust is golden brown).

13. Slice your *Last of Us-inspired* Mushroom Madness Pizza into pieces and enjoy!

Pssst: I sprinkled some chives over the top and served with a simple ricotta cheese and chive dip - incredible! 🍄