We’ve been on a pizza kick all weekend. There’s no such thing as Neapolitan style thin crust pizza here in Las Vegas so Katie and I spent the weekend toying with recipes. At this point we’ve tried recipes from Mark Bittman, Giuliano Bugialli and god knows how many online recipes.

I finally checked out Heston Blumenthal’s (of The Fat Duck) recipe from his book “In Search of Perfection”. Interesting, and I’m sure it is great, but it requires 24 hours to make a pizza dough. I started messing with it, and I think I have a pretty decent substitute that only takes a few minutes to put together (and another hour and a half or so to rise).  This recipe utilizes weights – so get yourself a simple scale if you don’t already have one, it’s a great tool for the kitchen, especially if you’re getting into baking.

Here goes:

• 350 g King Arthur AP Flour
• 190 g beer (of your choice, we used Sierra Nevada “Tumbler” Autumn Brown Ale)
• 10 g luke warm water (roughly 120 degrees fahrenheit)
• 7 g (one package) active dry yeast
• 2 g granulated sugar

In a small bowl, mix the luke warm water, sugar, and yeast. allow to bloom for ten to fifteen minutes.

In a mixer, combine the AP flour and beer. add the water and yeast mix.

Combine thoroughly.

Cut the resulting ball in three equal parts, roll them on a cutting board until round.

Place each ball in an individual bowl that has been lightly oiled.

Smear the surface of each dough ball with an additional 1/4 teaspoon olive oil to prevent the dough drying out while it rises.

Cover each bowl with a dish towel and let sit in a warm place (80 degrees or warmer is best).

After approximately an hour to an hour and a half each dough should have risen to nearly double its original size.

Roll out the dough as thin as possible and top with your favorite ingredients.   We made two different pies, one topped with bolognese sauce we had been playing around with, and another “white pie” that was topped with olive oil, garlic, chili flakes and fresh clams (use raw clams, they’ll cook thoroughly by the time the crust is crisp) and lots of fresh herbs when it comes out of the oven.

We baked the pies in a 500 degree convection oven on an inexpensive pizza stone ($9.50 at Target) for six to seven minutes, use your judgement.  When the crust looks brown and crispy, you’re probably done.

Hope you like!!

Photo credit Channel4

Part two of this post is as casual and simple as part one ‘spring ramps with poached eggs and toast’, and at least equally delicious.  Pizza is a great vehicle for ramps because it gives them room to shine, and the salty prosciutto and savory mushrooms make a brilliant combination.  This pizza couldn’t be easier to make, either, because you precook the dough a bit, pre-saute the mushrooms and ramps, and spread a layer of creme friache instead of laboring over a sauce.  We prepared the whole meal in about twenty-five minutes.

When this pizza emerged from the oven, the aroma alone was enough to stir our normally docile dog into a mild frenzy.  We both agreed that we would be quite happy with this pizza even if we had ordered it from a gourmet pizzeria.  If you can’t find baby shitake mushrooms, you can use regular shitakes if you remove the woody stems and chop them into bite sized pieces.  Also, given that it was mid-week and we started cooking at eight, we used a pre-made pizza dough from Whole Foods, which was actually quite good.  You can also usually convince your favorite pizza parlor to sell you some dough, or certainly, if you are so inclined, you can make it yourself!  Either way, you will impress a crowd with this one!

This recipe is made much easier with a pizza stone and peel.  If you don’t have one, it is a worthwhile investment if you think you would like to make pizza at home.  The recipe below makes one large pizza and serves 3-4 people.

Ingredients:

• Pizza dough (~8 oz. or enough for one large pizza)
• 1/4 lb. thinly slices prosciutto de Parma (amount allows for minimal snacking)
• 1/4 lb. of fresh baby shitake mushrooms

• 10-15 fresh ramps, cleaned and sliced into diagonal strips
• 1/2 cup  creme friache
• 1/3 cup shaved Pecorino Romano
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil (for brushing on the dough)
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 550 degrees with the pizza stone in it.  For best results, put a layer of corn meal on the pizza stone and flour your pizza peel.  Toss or roll out your pizza dough and set it on your peel while the oven preheats and you complete the next step.

In a saute pan, melt the butter over medium heat.  Add the baby shitake mushrooms and saute for about three minutes.  Add the ramps and season with a pinch of salt, and saute for one more minute, and then remove from the heat.  Set aside.

Once the oven is hot, brush your pizza with the olive oil and pre-cook for about 5 minutes or until the dough becomes lightly golden brown and bubbly.  Remove from the oven.

To assemble the pizza, spread the creme fraiche in an even layer over the dough.  Then, break up the prosciutto into bite size pieces and spread over pizza.  Evenly distribute the ramps and mushrooms.  Return to the oven for another 3 minutes.

Remove the pizza from the oven and garnish with fresh black pepper and the Pecorino cheese.  Serve immediately.