Vegetable-za'atar pizza

When I saw this pizza recipe on one of my favorite blogs (Good Things Catered), I knew I HAD to make it. The last time we were in San Francisco, I bought some za'atar at a Middle Eastern grocery store specifically for that recipe.  If you've never had it, you are really missing out.  According to wikipedia, za'atar is a spice blend that includes dried oregano, thyme, marjoram, sesame seeds, and sumac.  I can't wait to use it in more recipes!

The original recipe calls for grilling the vegetables and the pizza.  Since we only have a charcoal grill and I'm not overly competent when it comes to those, I decided to adapt the recipe to be made entirely indoors.  I'm sure I'm missing out on a lot of great flavor by not grilling, but it was still incredibly good.

This recipe took an hour from start to finish, including making the dough, because I found a great quick pizza dough recipe here.

Pizza dough:
(adapted from Recipe Zaar)
1 (1/4 ounce) package active dry yeast
1/2 tsp sugar
1 cup water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups bread flour
1 cup whole wheat flour

Preheat oven to 450 F
Mix yeast and sugar in warm water until dissolved.
Stir in oil, salt and flours and stir until it forms a dough ball.
Cover bowl with a kitchen towel, place on top of your stove while the oven is warming up.
Let rise at least 15 minutes, while you prepare the toppings.

Topping:

(adapted from Good Things Catered)

1 Tbsp olive oil, divided
1 large garlic clove, minced
2 tbsp za'atar
large pinch salt
ground pepper to taste
1 small zucchini, halved along the horizontal and sliced
1 small yellow squash, halved along the horizontal and sliced
1/2 medium red pepper, julienned

1/2 medium green pepper, julienned
1/2 small head broccoli, small crowns cut off base
6 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 - 1 1/2 c. mozzarella cheese

Heat 2 tsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Add the zucchini, yellow squash, pepper, and broccoli and season with a nice pinch of salt and ground pepper.
Saute just until the vegetables are crisp-tender.
Divide the dough in half and roll out into large rectangles. 

Transfer to baking sheets lined with parchment or a Silpat.
Drizzle about 1 tsp olive oil onto each pizza and spread evenly using fingers.
Spread garlic, then za'atar onto pizzas, dividing evenly.
Lightly salt and pepper each pizza.  

Place half the sauteed vegetables on each pizza, then sprinkle with cheese and cherry tomato halves.
Bake for about 15 minutes, or until cheese is bubbling and the crust is browning.