Makes 5 8-inch pan pizzas; serves 6 (or 12).
Ingredients
4-1/4 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
Pinch of kosher salt
1 envelope yeast
1 Tbsp olive oil
Toppings of your choice (see below), which might include: sliced fruits or vegetables, caramelized onions, soft cheeses, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, fresh and dried herbs.
Directions for pizza dough (from Ross)
In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in a little more than 1 cup of lukewarm water for about 10 minutes. Combine yeast with flour, salt and olive oil in a mixing bowl, and stir to bring the dough together in a soft mass.
Knead till the surface is soft and pliable (about 10-15 minutes). The dough should not be sticky; if it is, add a small bit of flour. If too dry, add a tiny bit of water. Form the dough into a ball.
Let the dough sit in a bowl for 1-2 hours in a warm place (85-90°F), with a damp towel covering the bowl. The dough will double in size.
With one punch into the dough, it will deflate.
Cover the bowl again with a damp towel, and put it back in the warm place. Let it rise for 1 more hour. The dough should double once again. Punch it down, and divide into Now, it's ready to use.
To make stove-top pan pizza:
Flour your countertop, and roll out one ball of pizza dough in a round roughly 8 inches in diameter.
Set an 8-inch nonstick frying pan on the stove, and swirl 1 teaspoon of olive oil all around the bottom. Heat the pan for a minute on low heat, then place the pizza dough in the pan.
Cook for 2-3 minutes, until the bottom of the dough is lightly browned. Flip the dough, spread with toppings (see below), cover the pan, and cook for 3-4 minutes, until the dough is cooked through and any cheese in the toppings has melted.
Toppings:
Use any combination of fruits, vegetables, herbs and cheeses that you like. You can't go wrong. Christine and I made five variations, using her goat cheeses. I've listed them in the order we put them on the pizza dough.
Gouda and apple: Shredded gouda cheese, sautéed slices of Granny Smith apple, caramelized onion, fresh thyme leaves.
Chevre and tomato: Soft goat cheese mixed with minced garlic, fresh thyme leaves, thinly sliced roasted red peppers, halved cherry tomatoes, chiffonade of fresh basil leaves.
Goat cheese and mango: Soft goat cheese, sliced mango, lemon zest, minced rosemary, drizzle of honey.
Caramelized onion and parmesan: Caramelized onion, thinly sliced bell pepper, fresh basil leaves, grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
Smoky mango: Soft goat cheese, sliced mango tossed with smoked paprika, thinly sliced lime, fresh basil chiffonade.