C'mon - you know you sang that in your head as you read it. I sang it in my head as I typed it! From the minute I decided to do a newsletter all about pizza I haven't been able to get that song out of my head. But I wanted to think differently about pizza. You don't need me to tell you how to put red sauce, toppings, and cheese on dough and put it in the oven. There's absolutely nothing wrong with those, and I enjoy them a lot! But if you are tired of the standard pie, give some of these a try. And, though most of these are baked in the oven, if it is too hot out for you to leave the oven on the full 45 minutes to get that pizza stone ready, these can all be made on the grill following the procedure for the mushroom pizza!

Stone Fruit Dessert Pizza

Makes 3 small pizzas

Ingredients:

For the dough:

1/2 cup warm water (ideally between 100-110 degrees F)

1 1/2 teaspoons active dry or instant yeast

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus additional for greasing bowl

For the topping:

1/2 cup cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract or paste

4 1/2-5 cups thinly sliced or chopped stone fruits (for each pie above I used 1 1/2 nectarines, 2 black

    plums, and about a cup and a half of quartered cherries)

Fresh mint, minced, for garnish (learn how to mince here)

Procedure:

Make the dough:

Mix yeast and water together with a pinch of the sugar. Set aside until frothy, about 5 minutes. When active, add butter. Grease medium bowl and set aside.

While activating the yeast, mix together flour, salt, sugar, and cinnamon in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add yeast mixture and mix on low speed until dough starts coming together. Knead for 5 minutes. Check to see if dough is ready by "pulling a window" (see button above if you don't know how to do this), and continue to knead if necessary. Place dough in greased bowl, turning to ensure there is some butter on top of the dough as well to prevent drying out. Cover bowl with plastic and leave in a warm place to rise until doubled, approximately 45-60 minutes. Alternatively, place dough in the refrigerator overnight. 

If baking same day, preheat oven with a pizza stone to 450 degrees F. Ensure that the pizza stone has a full 45 minutes to preheat.

Make the topping:

In a small bowl, mix together cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla. 

Assemble pizzas:

Divide dough in to three equal pieces. Stretch to desired thickness and place on a well-floured pizza peel. Divide cream cheese mixture equally among the stretched dough. Top each pizza with fruit, arranged in a decorative pattern.

Place pizzas on stone in oven and bake, turning halfway through until crust is golden brown and fruit is warmed through, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven, garnish with minced mint, and serve immediately.

Smoked Mushroom, Kale, and Goat Cheese Grilled Pizza

Makes 2 individual pizzas

Ingredients:

For the crust:

1 cup fed sourdough starter (ripe/active)

1/2 teaspoon instant or active dry yeast

1 cup Bread flour (all-purpose just isn't strong enough and will fall apart on you here)

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil, plus additional for greasing bowl

For the topping:

1 cup kale leaves (I used lacinato), stemmed, sliced thinly, and washed very well

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon Kosher salt, plus additional to taste

4 oz goat cheese

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

1 Tablespoon whole grain mustard (I prefer Maille)

1 pound wild mushrooms

About 2 tablespoons neutral flavored oil such as avocado or canola

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Hickory wood chips, soaked, for smoking mushrooms

2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided

Procedure:

Make the crust:

Mix starter and yeast together and set aside for 5 minutes to activate yeast.

In bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, mix together flour and salt. Add oil to yeast mixture, then add yeast mixture to flour mixture. Mix on low speed with dough hook until you can pull a window, 5-10 minutes. 

Place dough in an oiled bowl and turn over, coating entire dough in oil. Cover with plastic and place in the refrigerator overnight, or up to 2 days. Alternatively, place in a warm area and let rise until doubled in size, approximately 1-1 1/2 hours.

Cook pizza:

Preheat grill on medium-high heat. Place drained wood chips in a smoker box or in a foil packet with holes poked in it (alternatively, if you have a smoking gun, you can use that after pre-grilling the mushrooms - I did!).

Place kale, lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon salt in a small bowl and massage juice and salt in to leaves. Set aside.

Place goat cheese, heavy cream, and mustard in the bowl of a food processor and process until very smooth. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Place soaked woodchips in preheated grill near flame source. Toss mushrooms with oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on grill (if they are large, you can place directly on the rack, or you can place in a basket or foil packet with holes in it). Close lid until mushrooms are tender and have smoke flavor). Remove from grill and chop into bite-sized pieces if large.

Brush 1 Tablespoon olive oil on one side of stretched pizza dough. Place directly on grill grates, oil side down. Brush remaining oil on the side of the dough that is now facing up. When the dough no longer appears "wet" on top, flip over. Working quickly, spread cheese mixture on dough, scatter mushrooms and kale over the top, and close grill lid. Cook until dough is cooked through and toppings are warmed. Serve immediately.

White Pizza with Smoked Gouda

Makes 2 individual-sized pizzas

Ingredients:

For the crust:

1 cup fed sourdough starter (ripe/active)

1/2 teaspoon instant or active dry yeast

1 cup Bread flour (all-purpose just isn't strong enough and will fall apart on you here)

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

For the topping:

1/2 cup ricotta cheese

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano, or 1/2 teaspoon fresh minced oregano

1/2 teaspoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/2 cup smoked gouda, grated

1/2 cup fresh mozzarella (it really makes a difference), grated

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Procedure:

Make the crust:

Mix starter and yeast together and set aside for 5 minutes to activate yeast.

In bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, mix together flour and salt. Add oil to yeast mixture, then add yeast mixture to flour mixture. Mix on low speed with dough hook until you can pull a window, 5-10 minutes. 

Place dough in an oiled bowl and turn over, coating entire dough in oil. Cover with plastic and place in the refrigerator overnight, or up to 2 days. Alternatively, place in a warm area and let rise until doubled in size, approximately 1-1 1/2 hours.

Make the pizza:

Preheat oven with pizza stone to 500 degrees for a full 45 minutes.

While oven is preheating, mix ricotta, oregano, and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. 

When oven is ready, divide dough in to two and stretch or roll to desired thickness. Place on a well-floured peel. Top each crust with half of the ricotta mixture, leaving a small border around entire pizza. Top each pizza with gouda, then mozzarella. Place into preheated oven and cook, turning halfway through until cheese is melted and crust is golden brown, approximately 10-15 minutes. Remove from oven and serve immediately.

Brunch Pizza

Makes 2 individual sized pizzas

Ingredients:

For the dough:

6 ounces bacon, diced in to lardons (explained in the video - this will be enough for the dough and

  topping)

3/4 teaspoon active dry or instant yeast

3/4 cup warm water

2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil, plus additional for greasing bowl

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus more as needed

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

For the topping:

1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour

1 1/3 cup milk

1/2 cup shredded cheese of your choice (I used cheddar)

1/4 teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg

4 eggs

1/2 cup arugula, watercress, or green mustard leaves

Olive Oil, as needed

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, as needed

Procedure:

Make the dough:

Place bacon in a medium-large skillet and add just enough water to cover the bottom. Cook on medium heat until fat is rendered and bacon is crispy. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Remove half of the bacon pieces and set aside.

Add yeast to water and set aside to activate, approximately 5 minutes. Measure 1 Tablespoon cooled bacon fat (it will kill the yeast if it is above 138 degrees F) from pan and add, along with olive oil, to yeast mixture. 

To a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, add flour and salt. Add yeast mixture and knead until dough is smooth and pliable and passes the "pulling a window" test, approximately 5-10 minutes. If dough is too sticky, add additional flour, a tablespoon at a time until dough comes together. Add bacon pieces and mix until just incorporated. Place dough in a greased bowl, turning dough to ensure that the top is also oiled. Cover with plastic and set aside until doubled in volume, approximately 45 minutes-1 hour. Alternatively, you can place in the refrigerator overnight.

Make the pizza:

Preheat oven with pizza stone to 500 degrees for a full 45 minutes.

Remove remaining bacon pieces from pan and reserve. Remove fat from pan, leaving 1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon behind. Place back on medium heat. When hot, add flour all at once and whisk together until foamy. Add milk, a tablespoon or two at a time to avoid lumps. When all milk is added, bring mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer until reduced by approximately 1/3. Remove from heat and add cheese. Whisk until all cheese is melted. Add nutmeg, and season with salt and pepper. Add reserved bacon pieces to mixture.

Divide dough in half. Stretch dough into desired shape. Place on well-floured peel. Divide cheese mixture equally between dough. Place pizzas in to preheated oven.

After 5 minutes for a medium egg (set but not fully cooked) or 7 minutes for a runny egg, open oven and crack eggs on top of dough (fair warning - the white may run a bit). Close oven and continue cooking until whites are set and crust is brown, approximately 5-10 minutes more. 

While pizzas are cooking, in a small bowl, season arugula with salt and pepper. Add a small drizzle of olive oil and stir to coat.

When pizzas are finished, remove from the oven and top with dressed arugula. Serve immediately.