October 28, 2008

Pizza by Peter Reinhart




October Daring Baker Challenge

The challenge this month is hosted by Rosa of Rosa's Yummy Yums. Rosa chose the pizza recipe from Peter Reinhart's The Bread Maker's Apprentice. This is a wonderful recipe that I've made a number of times to great reviews from my family. In the past, I've topped this pizza with herbed pesto and edam, the classic pepperoni and mozzarella cheese, or ground buffalo and a variety of Italian cheeses.


This time I wanted to satisfy my curiosity about fried sage on pizza. It turned out beautifully and we barely had enough of the sage leaves left from the batch I fried up to put on the pizza. Now we have a new topping option for our family pizza night.


Basic Pizza Dough

1 cup brown rice flour
1 cup corn flour
1 cup oat flour
1 1/2 cup arrowroot starch
2 tsp chia seed meal
2 tsp instant yeast
1/4 cup olive oil
1 3/4 cups water, ice cold (40 degree Fahrenheit)
1 Tb sugar or agave syrup
Cornmeal flour for dusting

DAY ONE

1. Mix together the flour, salt and instant yeast in a big bowl.

2. Add the oil, sugar and cold water and mix well (with the help of a large wooden spoon) in order to form a sticky ball of dough. If the dough is too wet, add a little flour (not too much, though) and if it is too dry add 1 or 2 teaspoons extra water.

3. Flour a work surface or counter. Line a jelly pan with parchment paper. Lightly oil the paper.

4. With the help of a dough scraper, cut the dough into 6 equal pieces (or fewer pieces if you want to make larger pizzas).

5. Sprinkle some corn flour over the dough. Make sure your hands are dry and then flour them. Gently round each piece into a ball.

6. Transfer the dough balls to the lined jelly pan and mist them generously with oil. Slip the pan into a plastic bag or enclose in plastic food wrap.

7. Put the pan into the refrigerator and let the dough rest overnight or for up to three days.

DAY TWO

8. On the day you plan to eat pizza, exactly 2 hours before you make it, remove the number of desired dough balls from the refrigerator. Place on a sheet of parchment paper and sprinkle with a gluten free flour. Delicately press the dough into disks about 1/2 inch/1.3 cm thick and 5 inches/12.7 cm in diameter. Sprinkle the dough with flour, mist it again with spray oil. Lightly cover the dough round with a sheet of parchment paper and allow to rest for 2 hours.

9. At least 45 minutes before making the pizza, place a baking stone on a shelf in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven at hot as possible (500 Degree F/260 Degrees C).

10. Press the dough into the shape you want (about 9 - 12 inches/23 - 30 cm in diameter - for a 6 ounces/180 g piece of dough).

11. Lightly top the dough with sweet or savory toppings of your choice.

12. Place the garnished pizza on the parchment paper onto the stone in the oven or bake directly on the jally pan. Close the door and bake for about 5 - 8 minutes.

13. After baking 2 minutes, take a peek at the pizza. For more even baking, rotate the pizza 180 degrees.

14. Take the pizza out of ht eoven and transfer it to a cutting board or your plate. In order to allow the cheese to set a little, wait 3 - 5 minutes before slicing or serving.


Topping

Olive oil
Minced fresh sage leaves
Minced shallot
Fried Sage leaves

1. Spread olive oil over the top of the dough. Sprinkle the minced sage and shallot over the top.

2. Place the fried sage leaves on the top of the pizza just before serving.


Fried Sage Leaves

handful fresh large sage leaves
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup water
pinch salt
smidgeon black pepper

1. In a small bowl, place in the brown rice flour, water, salt and pepper, then stir. Dip each leave into the batter and allow the excess batter to drip off.


2. In a heavy sauce pan, pour in 1 inch of olive oil and heat to 365°F on a deep-fat thermometer. Fry sage in batches, turning as needed. Using a pair of tongs remove the sage leaves from the oil and place in a paper towel lined pan to drain.