A little advance planning is required for this recipe. To thaw the bread at room temperature, set it out 2 to 3 hours before using. Or, you can thaw in the refrigerator for 10 to 12 hours.

roasted pepper and chèvre pizzas

prep: 20 minutes bake:10 minutes at 450°F

makes: 8 individual pizzas

1 16-ounce loaf frozen whole wheat or white bread dough
2 tablespoons yellow cornmeal
3 medium red, yellow, and/or green sweet peppers, roasted (see tip)
2 tablespoons olive oil
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 medium red onion, cut into thin wedges and separated into strips
4 ounces semisoft goat cheese (chèvre) or feta cheese, crumbled or cut up (¾ cup)
10 ripe olives, pitted and quartered lengthwise
4 roma tomatoes, sliced
1½ cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (6 ounces)
3 to 4 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves or snipped fresh basil*

1 For pizza crusts, thaw bread dough. Preheat oven to 450°F. On a lightly floured surface, divide dough into eight pieces. Cover; let dough rest for 10 minutes. Pat or roll each piece into a 6-inch circle. Grease two extra-large baking sheets; sprinkle with cornmeal. Transfer dough circles to baking sheets.

2 Bake pizza crusts for 5 minutes. Remove baking sheets from the oven; place on wire racks to cool, leaving the dough on the baking sheets.

3 Meanwhile, cut roasted peppers into 1-inch-wide strips. Stir together oil and crushed red pepper. Brush the mixture onto pizza crusts. Top with roasted peppers, onion, goat cheese, olives, and tomatoes. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.

4 Bake for 5 to 7 minutes or until mozzarella is golden brown and crusts are crisp. Before serving, sprinkle with fresh oregano.

nutrition facts per individual pizza: 329 cal., 14 g total fat (6 g sat. fat), 25 mg chol., 565 mg sodium, 37 g carb., 4 g fiber, 16 g pro.

*tip: You can substitute 1 tablespoon dried oregano or basil, crushed, for the fresh herbs. Instead of sprinkling it on top of the pizzas, stir the dried herb into the oil mixture before brushing it onto the crust.