Ingredients
Check off ingredients as you go
Makes 2 pizzas
For the dough
- 500 g (4 cups) all-purpose flour (plain flour), sifted
- 10 g (1 Tbsp) active dry yeast
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 250 ml (1 cup) lukewarm water
- 1 tsp fine salt
- a drizzle of olive oil (optional, but I like it)
For the topping
- 250 g (1 cup) crème fraîche (or sour cream)
- a splash of milk
- Pizza 1 topping
- sliced fresh mushrooms
- a pinch of rosemary
- shredded mozzarella
- Salt, pepper
To serve
- a handful of arugula (rocket) leaves
- a little Parmesan
- Pizza 2 topping
- 1 log goat cheese
- 1 red onion
- a drizzle of honey
In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the yeast, sugar and water and wait until the mixture foams (this step lets you check that your yeast is working properly). Then add the flour, salt and a drizzle of olive oil. Knead for 5-7 minutes, or until you have a nice, smooth, elastic dough. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rest.
Meanwhile, prepare the topping of your choice. With the proportions for 500 g of flour, I make 2 large pizzas. In a bowl, loosen the crème fraîche with a splash of milk so it spreads easily. Sauté the mushrooms in a wok, dry or with a drizzle of oil, just until they smell good, then season with salt and pepper, add the rosemary and set aside. In the same very hot wok, sauté the sliced red onion for a few moments, then set aside. Cut the goat cheese log into slices.
Preheat the oven to 275°C (525°F) (or your oven’s highest temperature) on the pizza setting if your oven has one, or on conventional heat (that is, not fan/convection). Roll the dough out thinly on a floured work surface, then transfer it to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Then for pizza 1: spread half of the crème fraîche mixture over the dough, arrange the mushrooms on top, sprinkle with mozzarella and bake in the middle of the oven for 10 to 12 minutes.
For pizza 2: spread the pizza with the rest of the crème fraîche mixture, arrange the red onions on top, scatter over the goat cheese rounds, add a drizzle of honey and, if you like, a little mozzarella.
When the first pizza is done, bake the second in the middle of the oven for 9-10 minutes. The oven will be hotter, so this pizza may cook slightly faster.
The pizzas should be cooked through and the cheese golden. Straight out of the oven, if you like, you can top the mushroom pizza with arugula and a dusting of Parmesan!
Tips and variations
- Of course, you can vary the toppings endlessly to suit your taste and whatever you have in your pantry or fridge.
- Pizza dough freezes perfectly: you can double the amount of dough, put half in a food storage bag and freeze it for next time (after it has risen).