9/5/11

Peanut Butter and Jelly Pizza


Do you remember starting elementary school each year after summer vacation? Wasn't it so scary and exciting at the same time? I remember being so nervous/excited and hoping that it would be fun and that I'd be able to get on/off the bus at the right place. I worried about whether my teacher would be nice and if I'd still be able to see my best friend who was in a different class. I'd wonder if I'd forget everything that I had learned the year before and if they'd send me back to the previous grade if I did. Or if my desk would be close to that weirdo boy who kinda smelled weird. 

Probably the one thing that I did not worry about was what I was going to bring for lunch. That's because for the entire time I was in elementary school (and into junior high for a while, and again during the wonderful poor years of graduate school) I ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Every day. It was like a good friend that I never got tired of. I mean, if things got boring you could always switch from raspberry jelly to strawberry, right? Or try to convince your mom to buy the soft white bread that seemed so much better than that whole grain stuff she kept getting. Peanut butter and jelly was the only thing I ever wanted to eat, and the only thing I ever ate. 


I've since learned that other foods besides peanut butter and jelly taste pretty darn good for lunch, too, but there's still something about eating those flavors together that remains one of my favorites. The salty/sweet  combination is just classic. In honor, then of back to school and the wonderful memories that this time of year brings back to my mind, I thought I'd do an entire week of peanut butter and jelly recipes, starting with this PB&J pizza. 

My sister and I first discovered this pizza when we were living together while she was studying cosmetology and I was in grad school (I think I benefited from this arrangement way more than she did. She could give me haircuts, but I could only share nerdy stories about plant DNA with her in return.) I think we heard a PB&J pizza mentioned in passing on some TV show and in less than an hour we were already giving it a try. The first few attempts were trial and error as we figured out whether to cook the crust first, (yes) to bake it with the peanut better and jelly already on there (we preferred not to) and how much to top it with. By the end of our trials, though, we had come up with a pizza that became a frequent dinner option around our apartment. It was easy to make and there was something about the flavor combination that was so comforting. And, if any of you have ever had a toasted peanut butter and jelly sandwich, you can attest that the flavor of melted peanut butter and jelly is somehow even better than regular PB&J. Our original version was a mess of peanut butter and jelly mixed all over the dough, but pictures that I saw from a restaurant at Disneyland gave me the idea to spread the jelly with a squeeze bottle for a much neater presentation. No matter how you slice it, though, it's a fun way to enjoy the great tastes of peanut butter and jelly and perhaps relive a bit of your childhood, too. 


Peanut Butter and Jelly Pizza

Ingredients:

Pizza dough, enough for a 12" crust
1/3-1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup jam (seedless raspberry works well in a squirt bottle)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll pizza dough into a circle 12" in diameter. Using a fork, pierce the dough thoroughly to prevent large bubbles when baking. Bake on a pizza stone or round pizza sheet for 10-12 minutes or until the crust is cooked and the top is turning golden brown.

2. While the pizza is baking, warm the peanut butter in a microwave for a minute or until it is warm and melted. Warm the jam in a microwave until it is melted and transfer the melted jam to a clean squeeze bottle with a small tip.

3. Once the crust is baked, remove it from the oven and immediately spread the peanut butter over the top of the crust. You don't have to use the entire amount, so spread according to your tastes. Using the squeeze bottle, spread circles of raspberry jam onto the peanut butter, and then use a knife to make designs in the PB&J by dragging it from the center of the pizza out to the edge. Cut the pizza and serve.

Makes: 1 pizza, which serves 4-6.

28 Click For Comments:

This is a cool idea! You should serve this at halloween b/c that sure looks like a spider web to me! :)

I've honestly never been a PB&J fan, but had to click on this for my husband who LOVES them - I think he'd like this! I love the idea and how it looks so designed!

You know, I didn't even notice that it looks like a spider web until I was looking at the pictures on my computer. That's a great idea to serve for Halloween because it's so kid-friendly, too. Of course, I've never actually served it to a kid because I'm always eating it myself. :)

Thanks! I definitely think he'd like it. You could always make a mini version and make a non-PB&J pizza with the other half of the dough for yourself.

How cool!  You are very creative.  As a teacher, I can attest that teachers are nervous for the first day of school, too.  Which I had known that when I was in school (as a student, that is!).  :-)

Ahhhh, and I see that you've finally succumbed to advertising (like most of the rest of us!!).  Might as well, right??

I am a peanut butter and jelly fan. Nothing better when you are feeling blue.....thanks for sharing a great looking recipe.

Hey, love the new header! 

And loved this story. My son would eat PBJ for EVERY meal if I would let him (okay... so maybe he would break away for pancakes every now and again, but srsly... PBJ is his mainstay.) 

And the main thing I remember about the first day of school was the outfits/new clothes. That was such a big deal, even for us as middle schoolers. So funny to look back on now.

I agree with the Halloween idea!  Very cute.

Looks good. I would refer to it as "Open-faced Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich with the crust cut off" - but I'm a purist like that ;)

:) That's just no fun. I bet the kids would be way more excited about eating a peanut butter and jelly pizza than your name for it. Imagine if you tried applying your purist naming system to hot dogs?

Oh, you're so right. I remember picking my outfit out weeks in advance. It had to be perfect.

I'm glad I'm in good company with your son. I don't know if you worry as a mom and dietitian about his future, but if it gives you any hope I eat just about anything now. :)

Oh, and thanks for the compliments on the header. My dad designed it for me and asked me to send me some examples of things that I really liked. Yours was one of the examples that I sent. :)

I had no idea that teachers got nervous, too! I guess it makes sense. It's so funny how your perspective changes as you go through life. 

My husband finally convinced me that if I was going to spend this much time on something, I should at least try to find a way to buy an occasional kitchen gadget with it. He had me at kitchen gadget. :)

It's so pretty and looks delicious. Beautiful blog!

I still pretty much only ever want to eat PB+J...but for the sake of the blog I force myself to eat other things.  I have a feeling this pizza is going to become an obsession however!

Oh Nicole, That makes my day! Thanks for sharing that with me. 

I love PB&J!! I can't wait to see the other PB&J combos you have in store for us this week :)

I still eat peanut butter and jelly almost every day for lunch! :)

what a fun idea! growing up I ONLY brought PB sandwiches to school..which I now find crazy because I absolutely LOVE pb & j and still enjoy it on a regular basis :)

PB & Jelly is my favorite, I still eat it almost every day. God help me if I have a child with a peanut allergy!

I am a huge pb&j fan! It's still one of my favorite comfort foods after a bad day...this pizza could definitely replace the sandwich on those days though. Yum!

New header??  And ps. love this cute little flatbread!  How fun to make with kids! 

Love this. I still love PB&J and its what my husband lives on when I am out of town. 

Yes, my sweet dad made the header for me and I just love it. :)

You are the only one besides me that has eaten PB&J for lunch, in school, for years and years! I love it. I think it is perfect and it is fun to mix and match jelly for each season and mood. Right now at the begining of Fall it is p-nut butter and apple butter. It is the bomb!

Believe it or not, I've never tried apple butter in my PB&J. I think I need to now. What a great idea! I do love how it is so versatile. Feeling like chunky peanut butter? Go for it? Want something filling? Use whole wheat bread. It's nice to know someone else loves them as much as I do.

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