Do you have a favorite flower – one that holds a personal meaning to you? For me, it is the Sunflower. There are a hundred reasons why sunflowers on their own are so special.
The sun is the source of all radiant light in our universe and sunflowers remind us of the sun. Just not necessarily the one God hung in the sky, but the one most of us have drawn as children. At a glance the only thing these two suns have in common are their golden hues.
The sun is our source of warmth and life. Sunflowers are a source of joy and wonder. Did you know sunflowers are so captivated by the sun that they actually turn their faces to follow the sun across the sky? That’s amazing all on its own. But that’s not the reason sunflowers mean so much to me. For me sunflowers serve as a remind to never take life for granted. There is beauty to behold everywhere.
Before Hubby and I were married, he drove the same route from his apartment to his office along the freeway and across the river every day. He drove past the same unending fields of sunflowers in the river’s bottom lands. And yet he never noticed them until we met. I had never seen this field of flowers dancing as it did in the early morning light until that first mornig when we drove the route together. It took my breath away.
Sometimes it takes someone else to bring our attention to God’s beauty that is always before us. I believe the reason God created the human race is so that we remind one another of His graces and His mercy. Like the flowers in the field, we should turn our faces to His love.
Sunflower Pepperoni Twist
Dough
17 oz Flour
1/3 cup Olive Oil
1 cup White Wine
1 teaspoon Salt
Heat oven to 350-degrees.
Weigh flour, place in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add olive oil, wine and salt. Using the dough hook attachment, knead the dough until mixed. Turn out on a lightly floured work surface and kneed until smooth. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and let rest while the filling is made.
Filling
6 oz Pepperoni
2 oz Ricotta Cheese
6 oz grated Parmesan Cheese, divided
2 cups Mozzarella Cheese
1 Egg
3 tablespoons Pizza Sauce
2 tablespoons Italian Breadcrumbs
Weigh the pepperoni, ricotta and Parmesan cheeses. Place Mozzarella, Ricotta and half of the Parmesan Cheese into a mixing bowl. Dice pepperoni into small pieces; add to the cheese mixture. Add egg, salt and pepper. Mix well, then set aside.
Assemble:
Unwrap the dough from the plastic and divide it into two equal parts. Lay parchment paper over the round baking stone (pizza stone). Dust lightly with flour. Dust rolling-pin and dough lightly with flour. Using a rolling-pin, roll the first half of the dough out to just under the side of your baking stone, or about 12 inches. Sprinkle the first disk with a little bread crumb, remove from stone by lifting with parchment paper under the disk and set aside.
Cover the baking stone with a second piece of parchment paper. Dust rolling-pin and dough lightly with flour. Roll second dish out to about the same size as the first. DO NOT sprinkle this disk with breadcrumbs. You want to keep it somewhat “sticky”. Lift with parchment paper and remove from dish.
Invert first dish onto baking stone. Sprinkle with a little breadcrumb. This will help absorb the liquid from the filling and help to keep the bottom dough dry.
On the breadcrumb dough, make two circles with the filling – an outer circle and an inner circle “mound”. Leave room between the circles and along the edge to seal the dough. Sprinkle the filling with the remaining grated Parmesan Cheese.
Place the second dough circle over the top of the filling. Seal the edges by hand, then press with a fork. Place a small bowl in the middle of the pie over the center mound, and press lightly to make an indentation in the dough. Use your fork to press LIGHTLY around the bowl.
With the bowl still in place, cut the dough into pieces approximately just under an inch. Once the outer dough has been cut, lift each section and twist back to expose the filling. Continue to lift and until each outer slice is twisted.
Finishing Ingredients
2 tablespoons Pizza Sauce
White Wine
15 slice Pepperoni
In a small bowl create a wash by whisking the pizza sauce with just a splash of wine, enough to thin slightly. Remove inverted bowl from the Sunny Twist, brush dough with wash. Decorate the center of the dome with the pepperoni slices, overlapping as you go. Scatter Parmesan Cheese lightly over the pepperoni.
Transfer pizza baking stone to the heated oven. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until golden. Remove stone from the oven, loosen Twist with a thin spatula. Once loosened, allow to cool on the stone for 10 minutes.
Transfer to a round serving platter, serve while still warm. Use the flower petals as a guide, and slice as you would any pizza pie. If desired, offer pizza sauce for “dipping”.
If you are insulted for the name of Christ, blessed are you,
for the Spirit of God rests upon you.
