Pizza with Mozzarella, Prosciutto, and Baby Arugula

Serves: Serves 4

Ingredients:

Pizza Dough

• 1 cup warm water (105° to 115°F)
• 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 2½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• ½ cup cake flour (not self-rising)
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt



• Unbleached all-purpose unbleached flour, for dusting
• 1 pound fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced and patted dry with paper towels
• 1⅓ cups thin half slices red onion
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 cups lightly packed baby arugula leaves, rinsed and dried
• Wedge of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, for grating
• 6 to 8 thin slices prosciutto




Procedures:

Make the dough: Place the warm water in a small bowl and sprinkle with the yeast. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand for 5 minutes, or until foamy. Stir to dissolve, if necessary.

In a large bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, cake flour, and salt, and stir to mix. Pour the yeast mixture over the flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until a soft dough forms.

Lightly dust a work surface with flour, and turn the dough out onto it. Knead the dough, sprinkling the dough or the work surface with extra flour as needed to prevent sticking, for 10 minutes, or until smooth and elastic. The dough can also be kneaded in a heavy-duty food processor, or in a stand mixer with a dough hook.

Shape the dough into a smooth ball, place it on a floured surface, and cover with an inverted bowl. Let rise, at room temperature, for about 1½ hours, or until doubled in bulk.

About 45 minutes before baking the pizza, place a pizza stone, unglazed quarry tiles, or a baking sheet on the lowest rack in the oven, and preheat the oven to 500°F.

When the dough is ready, use a large knife or a bench scraper to divide it into 4 equal pieces. With lightly floured hands, press out any bubbles that might have formed in the dough, and form each piece into a small smooth ball. Place about 4 inches apart on a lightly floured surface. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise for 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk.

Generously dust a pizza peel or a rimless sheet pan (cookie sheet) with flour. On a lightly floured work surface, and with floured hands, pat out 1 ball of the dough, stretching gently and turning, into a round about 10 inches in diameter and ¼ inch thick, leaving the edges of the round slightly thicker. Gently slide the peel under the round of dough.

Generously dust a pizza peel or a rimless sheet pan (cookie sheet) with flour. On a lightly floured work surface, and with floured hands, pat out 1 ball of the dough, stretching gently and turning, into a round about 10 inches in diameter and ¼ inch thick, leaving the edges of the round slightly thicker. Gently slide the peel under the round of dough.

Arrange about one-fourth of the mozzarella slices on the dough round. Evenly spread about ⅓cup of the onion slices over the cheese. Add a grinding of black pepper and drizzle with 1½ teaspoons of the olive oil.

Open the oven door. Guide the peel onto the pizza stone, tilting the peel and gently shaking it so the pizza slowly slides off the peel and onto the center of the preheated stone. Close the oven door and bake the pizza for 6 to 8 minutes, until the crust is browned and crisp.

When the pizza is ready, open the oven door, carefully slide the peel under the pizza, retrieve the pizza from the oven, and slide it onto a cutting board. Top the pizza with 1 cup of the arugula leaves and grate about 1 tablespoon of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese over the top. Arrange 1 or 1½ slices of prosciutto, torn into strips, on top of the arugula. Cut the pizza into wedges using a pizza wheel or kitchen scissors to serve.

Repeat steps 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11 with the remaining dough and topping ingredients. Pizzas can be served as they are ready or all at once. If you have a second oven, you can keep the pizzas warm on baking sheets at 250°F until you are ready to serve them all at once.




Marie Simmons and Sur La Table, Things Cooks Love (Andrews McMeel)