Pizza Bianca with Mushrooms and Bacon via Westport Farmers' Market

I have been making this dough for so long, I do not even remember where it came from.  It has been my kids’ favorite since they were small, and it still is now that they are all grown up ;-).  It is essentially foolproof, and takes no time to whip up.  Because I wanted to represent as many vendors from The Westport Farmers’ Market as possible, and make it as close to a one-stop-shop recipe, I added some flour I had on hand from Kneads Bakery, and it worked. So this just goes to show…who says you can’t shop local + seasonal in the Northeast in March?!? —-Phoebe Cole-Smith, Dirt Road Farm

Pizza Bianca with Mushrooms, Bacon and 2 Cheeses by Phoebe Cole-Smith of Dirt Road Farm

Makes 3 medium pizzas

The vendors whose products I used are:

Kneads Bakery — rye flour

Kontoulis Family — olive oil

Sea Coast Mushrooms — mushrooms

Ox Hollow Farm — bacon

Lost Ruby Farm — chèvre (from my freezer!)

Calf & Clover Creamery — cow’s milk ricotta (another option)

Sankow’s Beaver Brook Farm — sheep’s milk ricotta (“ “) and aged    raw milk cheese (sheep or cow, a melt-y one)

Two Guys — watercress (or a different green)

Gilberties — microgreens

For the Dough:

1 teaspoon active dry yeast

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour plus 1/2 cup rye flour (or 3 cups all-purpose flour)

2 teaspoons sea salt

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more as needed

1 cup warm water, plus more as needed

Directions:

For the Dough:

1. In a food processor, combine the dry ingredients. Mix the water and the 2 tablespoons olive oil and pour through the feed tube with the machine running.

2. Process until the mixture forms a ball (about 20 seconds). The dough should be slightly sticky to the touch. If it seems dry add a few more drops of water, and if it is too sticky a sprinkle or two of flour.

3. Dump the dough out onto a floured board or surface, knead for a minute or two until smooth, pat into a ball and place in an oiled bowl in a warm place covered with plastic wrap for two hours or until it has approximately doubled in size.

4. Knead again for a minute or two, divide the dough into three pieces, form each piece into a ball,place on a lightly floured surface, dust with a little more flour and cover well with plastic wrap or a damp towel for 20 minutes until they puff slightly.

For the pizza toppings:

4 large handfuls oyster, hen of the woods or king oyster mushrooms, or any combination of any mushrooms – torn in half or thirds with your hands, tough ends broken off and reserved for another use, or left whole if small

3 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves picked

4 ozs. diced smoked bacon or smoked pork jowl (guanciale)

4-6 ozs fresh chèvre or fresh ricotta

4-6 ozs aged raw milk cheese, shaved with a vegetable paring knife

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to taste

salt to taste

semolina flour for the pizza peel or rimless sheet pan

fresh watercress

fresh any kind of microgreens (i had arugula + radish)

red wine vinegar to taste

1. Preheat your oven for an hour, with a pizza stone on the middle rack, to at least 500 degrees F (higher if your oven will go even higher)

2. In a small saute pan, cook the bacon pieces until just lightly browned, drain on paper towel and set aside

3. Heat a large skillet over high heat for 1 minute, swirl in 3 tablespoons of olive oil, then add the mushrooms, thyme leaves and a few pinches of kosher salt. Stir once, then do not disturb for a couple of minutes to let the mushrooms sear (without burning). shake or stir to let the other sides brown quickly, removing from heat when partly cooked (they will cook more on the pizza). 

2. With a floured rolling pin or wine bottle, roll out one of the pizza dough balls on a lightly floured surface, then transfer with the back of your hands to a pizza peel (or rimless baking sheet) that has been lightly dusted with semolina flour

3. Working quickly, scatter 1/3 of the mushrooms and 1/3 of the bacon evenly over the pizza, crumble 1/3 of the goat cheese over the mushrooms and bacon, then add 1/3 of the shaved aged cheese.

4. Drizzle everything with olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch or two of Maldon sea salt (my favorite) or kosher salt.

5. Carefully slide the assembled pizza off the pizza peel directly onto the hot pizza stone in the oven.

6. Bake for 6-8 minutes, until the edges are brown and the cheese is bubbling.  Do not overcook, white pizzas cook more rapidly than sauced pizzas. Remove the pizza from the stone in the oven with two large spatulas and let rest a minute or so on a board.  Cut into pieces with a round pizza cutter or a sharp knife, drizzle with more olive oil, sprinkle with a little more salt, and top with the fresh greens barely dressed with olive oil + red wine vinegar (or nothing!)

7. Repeat with the other two pizza dough balls.

if you make this recipe, please tag me @phoebecolesmith, the westport farmers’ market @westportfarmersmarket as well as any of the farmers/vendors whose products you use.

Happy Farmers’ Marketing, Happy Cooking, and thank you for shopping local!