Wild Mushroom and Crescenza Pizza
*makes 2 10 inch pies
For the Pizza Dough:
extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tablespoon of active dry yeast
1/2 tablespoon of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of salt
3 cups of flour
For the topping:
2 cups of wild mushrooms (we used Hedgehog), roughly chopped
1 handful of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1/2 pound of crescenza cheese, sliced
extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
Parmesan cheese, to taste
1. Prepare the pizza dough. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil, yeast, sugar, salt and 1 cup of warm water (115 degrees F). Let the mixture sit for about 10-12 minutes (until it’s foamy).
2. Add the flour and mix on slow speed. Switch to a dough hook and knead the dough for about 6-8 minutes (until smooth).
3. Divide the dough into two balls. Place them on a floured baking sheet and cover with a sheet of lightly oiled plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rest for 2-3 hours (until it is nearly tripled in size).
4. Place a pizza stone on the lowest rack of the oven and heat your oven to 500 degrees F.
5. Place one ball of dough on a floured sheet of parchment paper. Use your fingers to stretch it out to a 10 inch diameter. Work from the center and be careful not to rip it. The center should be relatively thin–leave a 1 inch border of slightly thicker, puffier crust.
6. Cover the dough with a towel and allow it to rest for 15 minutes.
7. Brush the dough all over with olive oil.
8. Evenly top with the half of the mushrooms, leaving a 1 inch border topping-free. Sprinkle with about a teaspoon of parsley. Season with salt, pepper and a pinch or two of red pepper flakes. Give the pizza another nice drizzle of olive oil.
9. Transfer the pizza (on top of the parchment paper) to the pizza stone and bake for about 10 – 14 minutes (until the crust is puffy and nicely browned). While the pizza is cooking, prep the second pizza (repeating steps 5-8).
10. Carefully transfer the pizza from the oven to a cutting board and top with slices of crezcenza. Sprinkle with a bit more fresh parsley, season with some more salt and pepper (to taste), drizzle with olive oil and top with freshly-grated Parmesan cheese.
11. Place the second pizza on the pizza stone and bake for 10-14 minutes. Repeat step 9 and serve both pizzas at the same time.
