White Pizzas with Arugula

Here’s a little something I may or may not have told you, I love pizza!  I do.  I love the crust.  I love the sauce.  I love, love, love the cheese.  I also really enjoy trying new pizzas.  This recipe caught my eye for the obvious reasons, white, and arugula.  Yep, yep.  Not your ordinary pizza toppings, right?!  At first I was a wee bit skeptical but it does work!  The flavors are amazing not to mention the contrast of hot, crisp pizza with the cold lemony arugula salad on top.

White Pizza with Aurgula

Ingredients

For the Pizza

1 1/4 cups warm water

4 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast

1 tablespoon honey

olive oil

4 cups of flour, plus more for kneading

Sea salt

For the topping

4 garlic cloves, sliced

5 sprigs of fresh thyme

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Fresh ground black pepper

2-3 cups grated Italian Fontina Cheese

1 1/2 cups grated fresh mozzarella

1 1/2 cups creamy goat cheese (Montrachet, crumbled)

For the salad

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

8 ounces baby arugula

To Prepare the Dough

Combine the water, yeast, honey, and 3 tablespoons olive oil in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook.  When the yeast is dissolved, add 3 cups of flour, then 2 teaspoons salt, and mix on medium-low speed.  While mixing, add up to 1 more cup of flour, or just enough to make a soft dough.  Knead the dough for about 10 minutes until smooth, sprinkling it with the flour as necessary to keep it from sticking to the bowl.  When the dough is ready, turn it out onto a floured board and knead it by hand a dozen or so times.  It should be smooth and elastic.  Place the dough in a well-oiled bowl and turn it to cover it lightly with oil.  Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 30 minutes.

To Prepare the Garlic Oil

Place 1/2 cup olive oil, the garlic, thyme, and red pepper flakes in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over low heat.  Cook for 10 minutes, making sure the garlic doesn’t burn.  Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 500 F.

Dump the dough out onto a board and divide it into 6 equal pieces.  Place them on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and cover them with a damp towel.  Allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes.  Use immediately, or refrigerate for up to 4 hours.

Press and stretch each ball into an 8-inch circle and place 2 circles on each parchment-lined sheet pan.  (If you have chilled the dough, take it out of the refrigerator approximately 30 minutes ahead to let it come to room temperature.)  Brush the pizzas with the garlic oil (recipe below), and sprinkle each one liberally with salt and pepper.  Sprinkle the pizzas evenly with the Fontina, mozzarella, and goat cheese.  Drizzle each pizza with 1 tablespoon more of the garlic oil and bake for 10-15 minutes, until the crusts are crisp and the cheeses begin to brown.

Meanwhile, for the vinaigrette, whisk together 1/2 cup of the olive oil, the lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.  When the pizzas are done, place the arugula in a large bowl and toss with just enough lemon vinaigrette to moisten.  Place a large bunch of arugula on each pizza and serve immediately.

Makes 6 pizzas

From Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics

You have to try these pizzas!  If you are looking for another interesting pizza try these Calabrese Salami and Mozzarella Pinwheels, YUM!!

From our kitchen to yours,
Sydney Jones