Sausage, Red Onion and Wild Mushroom Pizza

[Sausage, Red Onion and Wild Mushroom Pizza]

Of my greatest food challenges I have set out to conquer in 2006, yeast dough, for me is the most ambitious.  Years ago, in all my brand new kitchen glory (and naivety), I decided to embark on the production of 36 Bolivian meat pies.  Resembling the hand held Ja-patty, I proceeded forth without fear, unaware of the disaster which lay ahead. In the end, I ended up stretching the dough to yield a measly six.

Over the last few years I have tried to read as much information as one can amass on the dos and absolute don'ts of such rising agents.  My favourite site for compiled information on the subject is Baking 911, quite like a Cooking for Dummies on-line.

Valuable lessons learned:  yeast requires a warm, draft free environment to thrive and foam.  Your water must comply with the temperature specified in the recipe.  My pizza dough required warm water between 105 and 115 degrees.  With dry active yeast, ensure you check the expiration date and store envelopes in a cool, dry place until ready to use.

Pizza Dough

(Adapted from Looney Spoons)

1 pkg. active dry yeast

1 cup warm water (105 degrees to 115 degrees)

1 tbsp. honey

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 1/2 tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. salt

Olive Oil cooking spray

2 tbsp. cornmeal (optional)

Pour yeast into a large bowl.  Combine warm water and honey.  Pour over yeast.  Let sit for 5 to  10 minutes, until mixture is foamy.  Meanwhile combine all-purpose and whole wheat flours.  Set aside.

Add olive oil and salt to yeast mixture.  Mix well.  Add 1 cup flour mixture.  Using a wooden spoon, stir until smooth.  Add a second cup of flour mixture and continue to stir until dough forms a soft and sticky mass and comes away from the sides of the bowl.

Flour the work surface and your hands with some of the remaining flour.  Turn dough out of bowl onto floured surface and knead in more flour until dough is smooth and elastic.  Don't worry if you do not use up all the flour.  Shape dough into ball.  Spray a large bowl with olive oil cooking spray and place dough inside.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 45 to 60 minutes until double in size.

Sausage, Red Onion and Wild Mushroom Pizza

(Adapted from Bon Appétit)

1 pizza crust recipe (see recipe above)
2/3 cup finely grated Piave or Parmesan cheese (I grated some Parmigiano Reggiano)
2 1/4 tsp. finely chopped rosemary, divided
1/2 tsp. dried crushed red pepper
Coarse kosher salt
1 1/2 tbsp. olive oil, divided
2 1/2  (I used 3) hot Italian sausages, casings removed
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
7 ounces fresh wild mushrooms (such as stemmed shiitake, oyster, and chantrelle), thickly sliced
1 3/4 cups coarsely grated whole-milk mozzarella cheese ( about 7 ounces), divided
Chopped fresh parsley, divided

Position 1 rack in top third and 1 rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 450 degrees F.  Lightly  flour  2 baking sheets ( I used olive oil spray and a dusting of cornmeal).  Place dough on work surface.  Divide dough in half.  Press and stretch each piece out on lightly floured surface to 5 inch round.  Sprinkle each with 1/3 cup Parmesan, 3/4 tsp. rosemary, and 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper; sprinkle with coarse salt.  Roll each piece of dough out to 10 inch round, pressing in seasonings.  Transfer dough rounds to prepared baking sheets (I used a Kitchenaid pizza crisper).
Heat 1 tbsp. oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add sausage.  Sauté until brown, breaking into 1/2-inch pieces with back of spoon, about 5 minutes.  Using slotted spoon, transfer sausage to bowl.  Add onion to skillet.  Sauté until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes; transfer to a plate.  Add remaining 1/2 tbsp. oil to skillet.  Add mushrooms and remaining 3/4 tsp. rosemary; sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Sauté until brown, about 5 minutes.  Leaving a 1/2-inch plain border, top each dough round with 3/4 cup mozzarella, then onion, sausage, and mushrooms.

Bake until crust bottoms are crisp and brown, reversing sheets after 10 minutes, about 20 minutes total.  Using large spatula, transfer pizza to work surface.  Sprinkle each with 2 tbsp. mozzarella (extra Parmesan, if desired), then parsley, if desired.

Comments

[pizza]

wow! that is a great looking pizza