Pesto Tomato Detroit-Style Pizza

TO MAKE THE TOMATO CONFIT:

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. In a large baking dish, add the cherry tomatoes, garlic, salt, crushed red pepper, and olive oil. Give it a good mix and transfer to the oven to bake for about 45 minutes, stirring the tomatoes every 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

TO MAKE THE SIMPLE PESTO:

1. Fill a large saucepan, about halfway with water, and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, create an ice bath in a medium bowl with ice and water and set this bowl on the counter right next to your saucepan. When the water is boiling, generously salt the water and add the basil. Use a spider to completely submerge for 5 seconds and then immediately transfer the basil to the ice bath. Once cooled, squeeze out the water from the basil.
2. To a small sauté pan, set over medium-low heat, and add the pine nuts. Toast until lightly golden brown.
3. Add the blanched basil and olive oil to a food processor and pulse for 20 seconds. Add the garlic, parmesan, toasted pine nuts, and kosher salt and pulse for 30 seconds or until you reach your desired consistency. Transfer to a jar or a bowl, cover, and refrigerate or set aside until ready to use.

TO MAKE THE PIZZA DOUGH:

1. Pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a 9x13-inch baking pan. The darker the aluminum, the better. This will give you a better crust.
2. In a bowl, mix together the all-purpose flour, salt, and instant yeast.
3. Pour in the warm water and 1 tablespoon olive oil and mix again. The dough will be pretty wet and that’s ok!
4. This is a different type of pizza dough; it will be kinda wet so don't sweat that too much. Just knead it up or mix it up until it becomes cohesive.
5. Dip your fingers into the olive oil from the pan and transfer the dough to the greased baking pan. Dimple the dough using your fingers. We’re going to do this every 15 minutes until it reaches the edges. We have to stretch the dough slowly to ensure zero ripping of the dough. Cover the dough with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap and allow it to rise in a draft-free place in your kitchen/house and set a timer for 15 minutes.
6. Return to the dough and remove the plastic wrap/towel and dimple the dough once more, spreading it close to the edges of the pan--it should be about halfway to the edges by now. Cover once more and set another timer for 15 minutes.
7. Return to the dough and dimple and stretch the dough, using extra olive oil on your hands as needed, until it reaches the edges and corners of the pan. Cover the pan and set a timer for 1 hour. This is the last rise required!

TO ASSEMBLE AND BAKE THE PIZZA:

1. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
2. Uncover the dough and spread ½ a cup of pesto on top of the pizza dough, smoothing it out until it reaches the edges. This pizza doesn’t really have a crusted exterior so be sure to take it to the edges too.
3. Top it with the cubed provolone (if using) and sprinkle with mozzarella. I like to add some cubes of the aged provolone close to the edge of the pan so it gets all crispy.
4. Add the tomatoes on top, evenly spacing them as best as possible.
5. Transfer to the oven and bake for 7 minutes, rotate the pan 180 degrees. And then bake for an additional 7 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and the cheese is all melty and bubbling.
6. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes and spoon on the remaining pesto. Transfer the pizza to a large cutting board. Slice it up with a sharp knife and serve!