Tuesday, May 31, 2016

3935. WHITE PIZZA with SPINACH and BACON

Yield: makes 1 pizza, serves 2-4


Dough

1 1/8 cups warm water

3 teaspoons active dry yeast

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

Pizza

6 slices thick-cut bacon

8 ounces fresh spinach

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup ricotta cheese

1 cup freshly grated provolone cheese

1/3 cup freshly grated mozzarella cheese

1/3 cup freshly grated fontina cheese

1/4 cup freshly grated parmagiano-reggiano cheese

Dough:
In a large bowl, combine water, yeast, honey and olive oil. Mix with a spoon, then let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes. Add in 2 1/2 cups flour and salt, stirring with a spoon until the dough comes together but is still sticky. Using your hands, form the dough into a ball and work in the additional 1/2 cup flour, kneading it on a floured surface for a few minutes. Rub the same bowl with olive oil then place the dough inside, turning to coat. Cover with a towel and place in a warm place to rise for about 1-1 1/2 hours.

After the dough has risen, punch it down and place it back on the floured surface. Using a rolling pin or your hands, form it into your desired shape (sometimes I use baking sheets and do rectangles or free form pizzas - this specific dough will yield one pizza large enough to feed about 3-4 people) and place on a baking sheet or pizza peel. Place the towel back over the dough and let sit in the warm place for 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. (Sometimes I use a pizza stone and heat my oven to 450 degrees and bake for 15 minutes. If you're just using a baking sheet, follow the directions below for baking and set to 375 degrees.)

Pizza:

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the bacon. Cook just until the fat has rendered - you don't want the bacon too crispy because it will cook more in the oven. Remove the bacon from the skillet and reduce the heat to low. Add the spinach and the garlic, stirring well. Cook until the spinach is wilted.

Brush the pizza dough with the olive oil. Cover it with scoops of the ricotta cheese, then evenly spread the remaining cheeses over top. Add on the spinach and the bacon. Place in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, until cheese and crust is golden and bubbly. 


bacon recipe source: Jessica Merchant, How Sweet It Is (@HowSweetBlog), January 23, 2014

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