Rachel Hightower’s Pear, Prosciutto, and Parmesan pizza

Ingredients

For the Pizza Dough:

  • 1 Package active dry yeast
  • 1 tbsp Brown Sugar
  • 1 1/4 cup Very warm water
  • 4 cups unbleached type “00” flour
  • 2 tsp fine sea salt
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more for bowl

For Dressing for Pizza and Arugula:

  • 2 green onions, finely chopped
  • 3 tbsp seasoned rice wine vinegar
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1/4 cup sour cram
  • 1/4 cup plain yogurt
  • 2 tbsp mayonaise
  • Black pepper, pinch

For Pizza:

  • 2 tbsp Butter
  • 1 Vidalia onion
  • 3 oz Gruyere cheese, shredded
  • 3 oz Fontina cheese, shredded
  • 1 firm ripe pear, cored and thinly sliced
  • 1/4 1b Prosciutto
  • 1/4 cup candied walnuts
  • 3 cup Arugula
  • 3 oz shaved Parmesan
  • Black pepper
  • Sea salt, pinch
  • 1 tbsp olive oil to brush on dough

Instructions

For the pizza Dough:

  1. Stir 1tbsp brown sugar into warm water and dissolve.
  2. Sprinkle packet of yeast over water and stir gently. Let stand until yeast is creamy and foams, about 5 to 10 minutes.
  3. In a separate large bowl whisk together flour and salt. Form a well in the center. Add the yeast mixture and olive oil. 4. Stir until dough just comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
  4. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently for 5 minutes. Cover with a damp dishtowel and let rest for 15 minutes.
  5. Knead for another 5 minutes and form dough ball. Oil a large bowl, place dough ball in oiled bowl and turn lightly to coat in oil. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or at least 4 hours.
  6. Punch down dough with your fist and fold sides over each other.
  7. Turn dough out on to a lightly floured work surface and divide into 4 equal balls. Leave space in between dough balls to rise.
  8. Cover with a warm damp dishcloth (not terry cloth) and let rise in a warm place until dough has doubled in size, about 2 hours.
  9.  Heat pizza stone in oven about 45 minutes before cooking pizza in an oven preheated to 500 degrees.
  10. Roll out dough to a 10 inch pizza and brush with olive oil.

(this dough recipe makes 4 pizzas but you only need 1 dough ball for pizza ingredients)

Dressing Directions:

  1. Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix together.

Pizza Directions:

  1. Sprinkle salt and pepper over rolled out and oiled pizza dough.
  2. In a small pan melt butter and cook onions until caramelized. Drizzle small amount of dressing. Add the caramelized onions, gruyere and fontina cheese on pizza. Arrange pear slices on top of cheese.
  3. Bake at 500 degrees for 5-8 minutes. Checking to make sure pizza doesn’t burn.
  4. Take pizza out and add prosciutto while pizza is still hot.
  5. Let cool just a little and add candied walnuts, Arugula, shaved parmesan, remainder of dressing, black pepper and a little sea salt.

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