Halloween Skull Pizza

FROM SUE · PRINTABLE RECIPE

Halloween Skull Pizza

Turn a mushroom pizza into Halloween supper with a few little skulls. Use the caps for faces and score the stems into teeth, then bake them over tomato sauce and mozzarella. You only need one ball of ready-to-use dough and a small knife for the carving.

Prep: 35 minutes · Cook: 15 minutes · Total: 55 minutes · Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 350 g (1 ball) Pizza dough
• 120 g Tomato sauce
• 180 g Mozzarella
• 10–12 Mushrooms
• 6–8, made from the mushrooms above; not extra mushrooms Mushroom skull toppers
• 1 tbsp Olive oil
• 1 tsp Oregano
• to taste Salt & pepper

Instructions

1. Start with a 350 g ball of risen pizza dough at room temperature. Set a rack in the lower third of the oven and heat to 230°C (450°F). Let the oven heat while you prepare the mushrooms, about 25–30 minutes. Rub a large metal baking tray with 1 teaspoon of the measured olive oil. The listed time does not include making, proving or warming cold dough.
2. Brush dirt from the mushrooms or wipe them with a damp cloth, then pat dry. Keep the stems attached to the caps. Choose 3–4 of the widest mushrooms for the skulls and cut each from cap to stem into two halves. You will have 6–8 skull toppers in total. Slice the remaining mushrooms thin; the skulls are part of the original 10–12 mushrooms, not an extra amount.
3. Place a mushroom half cut-side down on a stable board. Use the tip of a small knife or a clean drinking straw to hollow out two small eyes on the rounded cap. Make a small triangular nick for the nose. Score three or four shallow lines along the stem for teeth. Keep enough mushroom between the features to hold the face together, and tuck any clean trimmings into the sliced mushrooms. An adult should do the knife work.
4. Warm 1 teaspoon olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sliced mushrooms and trimmings with a pinch of salt. Cook for 4–5 minutes, stirring, until they release their water and the pan looks dry. Spread them on a plate to cool while you shape the dough. Leave the carved skull halves raw so their features stay clear for the oven.
5. Press the dough into a disc on the oiled tray, then stretch it from the center out into a circle about 30 cm (12 inches) across. Leave a slightly thicker rim. Keep the middle even and thin, without holes. If the dough keeps shrinking back, let it relax for 5 minutes under a clean cloth, then continue stretching.
6. Spread the tomato sauce over the dough, leaving a 2 cm (3/4-inch) border. Scatter the cooled sliced mushrooms over it, then add the mozzarella. Use grated firm mozzarella; if you choose fresh mozzarella, tear it into small pieces and pat away surface moisture first. Leave small gaps between the cheese so steam can escape.
7. Arrange the mushroom skulls face-up on the cheese and press their bases in so they stay upright. Spread them around the pizza with room for slicing. Brush the skulls and the exposed dough rim with the remaining 1 teaspoon olive oil. Sprinkle over the oregano and a little black pepper. Add salt only if the sauce and cheese need it.
8. Bake on the lower rack for 12–15 minutes, until the rim turns golden, the cheese bubbles and the mushroom skulls feel tender. Lift an edge with a spatula to check the underside: it should look golden and firm rather than pale and soft. Rotate the tray if one side browns sooner. Allow a few extra minutes if your dough or tray needs them.
9. Slide the pizza onto a board and rest for 5 minutes before cutting. Slice into eight wedges, cutting between the skulls where you can, and serve two slices per person. The cheese and tomato sauce stay hot under the mushrooms, so let children's portions cool before serving. The fresh basil and chilli flakes in the photograph are optional finishing touches; they are not required for the recipe or counted in the nutrition estimate.

Kitchen notes

• Use a ready-risen dough ball weighing about 350 g. Dough balls vary in size: weigh yours before stretching it to 30 cm. The board shows one ball; the weight here makes portion scaling and the nutrition estimate reproducible. Follow the maker's instructions for bringing refrigerated dough to room temperature, allowing that time before starting.
• Choose white button or small chestnut mushrooms with wide caps and short, sturdy stems. Cut the facial features larger than you want them to look after baking, since mushrooms shrink in the oven. A plain round hole for each eye is enough; you do not need olives or extra decorations.
• Keep the sauce thick and cook the sliced mushrooms until their liquid evaporates. Wet toppings can leave a soft center even after the crust edge has browned. Avoid piling extra sauce beneath the skulls, and check the underside before taking the pizza out.
• To share the preparation, an adult can carve the mushrooms while children spread the sauce and place the cheese. Keep raw dough away from tasting hands and bake it through before eating. For a second pizza, use the servings control to double the quantities and bake one tray at a time for even heat.