Caramelized Broccoli and Red Onion Pizza

Ingredients

• 1 small head broccoli, cut into 1/2-inch florets
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt
• 1 recipe pizza sauce, such as our New York Style Pizza Sauce
• 1 recipe New York Style Pizza Dough, divided into three balls, or three 12-ounce balls store-bought pizza dough
• 1 pound grated full-fat dry mozzarella cheese, very cold

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine the broccoli, onion, pepper flakes, and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add kosher salt to taste, toss everything together, and put the bowl aside.
2. At least 2 hours before you plan to bake, take the dough out of the refrigerator. Form it into balls by pulling the dough down toward the base and sealing it closed with a pinch. Dust each ball generously with flour, set each one in its own medium mixing bowl, cover snugly with plastic wrap, and leave at warm room temperature until about doubled.
3. 1 hour before baking, set an oven rack with the pizza steel in the top position and heat the oven to 550 degrees F. When it is time to bake, place one dough ball on a lightly floured surface. Press it gently into a rough 8-inch round, keeping the outside 1-inch slightly raised. Stretch it carefully over your knuckles until it reaches a 12 to 14-inch circle about 1/4-inch thick, then move it to a pizza peel.
4. Spoon about 2/3 cup of sauce over the dough and spread it evenly, leaving a 1/2 to 1-inch rim around the edge. Scatter 1/3 of the cheese over the sauce, then add 1/3 of the broccoli and onion mixture. Turn the oven to broil, slide the pizza onto the baking stone, and bake until the crust is browned and puffy and the broccoli has darkened in spots, 4 to 8 minutes. Move the pizza to a cutting board, slice it, and serve right away. Do the same with the remaining 2 dough balls, the rest of the sauce, and the remaining cheese, warming the baking steel again between pizzas as needed.