Garlic Fennel Pizza With Two Cheese Recipe
Ingredients
| All purpose flour | 1 1/2 Cup (16 tbs) (Fennel-Seed Dough:) | |
| Or bread flour | 1 1/2 Cup (16 tbs) (Fennel-Seed Dough:) | |
| Fennel seeds | 1 1/2 Tablespoon (Fennel-Seed Dough:) | |
| Salt | 2 Teaspoon (Fennel-Seed Dough:) | |
| Active dry yeast | 1 (Fennel-Seed Dough:) | |
| Warm water | 1 Cup (16 tbs) (Fennel-Seed Dough:) | |
| Extra virgin olive oil | 5 Tablespoon (Fennel-Seed Dough:) | |
| 4 bulbs fennel, fibrous outer leaves discarded, trimmed, and sliced into 1/2-inch pieces | ||
| 3 heads garlic, cloves separated and thinly sliced | ||
| Olive oil | 1/2 Cup (16 tbs) (Topping:) | |
| 1/2 pound domestic provolone cheese, grated | ||
| 1/2 pound Italian or Danish fontina cheese, grated | ||
| Thyme | 1/3 Cup (16 tbs), minced (Topping:) | |
| Salt | To Taste | |
| Pepper | To Taste | |
Directions
To make the dough: In a large bowl, combine the flours, fennel seeds, and salt; mix well.
In a small bowl, mix the yeast into the warm water, stirring until completely dissolved.
Add the oil and mix well.
Mixing with your hands, add the yeast mixture to the dry ingredients.
Gather the dough into a ball and turn out onto a lightly floured surface.
If the dough is too wet and sticky, add a little more flour; if the dough is too dry, add just enough warm water to form the dough into a ball.
Knead the dough for 5 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic.
Place in a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
Set in a warm place for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until doubled in size.
(A gas oven with a pilot light is perfect.) Remove dough from bowl, punch down, and knead on a lightly floured surface for 2 to 3 minutes.
Divide into 2 equal balls and cover lightly with plastic wrap.
Let the dough rest at warm room temperature for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the dough no longer springs back when poked with a finger.
Preheat oven to 500° F.
Roll each ball into a 1/4-inch-thick circle about 12 inches in diameter.
Thirty minutes before baking the pizza, place two pizza stones in the oven to preheat.
If you don't have pizza stones, use baking sheets and preheat in the oven for 10 minutes.
For the topping: In a large, nonstick saute pan, saute the fennel and garlic in the olive oil over high heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
Season with salt and pepper and remove from the heat.
Set aside until needed.
Bake the pizza dough blind (without the topping) on the preheated pizza stones or baking sheets for 5 minutes or until the crust just begins to turn golden brown.
(If there are air bubbles, just pat them down with the back of a spoon.) Divide the fennel-garlic mixture between the 2 crusts; spread evenly over the top of each crust.
Evenly distribute the cheeses over the 2 pizzas.
Bake for 5 minutes or until the cheeses are just melted.
Do not overbake or the cheeses will be rubbery.
Sprinkle with the thyme.
Cut into wedges, and serve immediately.
In a small bowl, mix the yeast into the warm water, stirring until completely dissolved.
Add the oil and mix well.
Mixing with your hands, add the yeast mixture to the dry ingredients.
Gather the dough into a ball and turn out onto a lightly floured surface.
If the dough is too wet and sticky, add a little more flour; if the dough is too dry, add just enough warm water to form the dough into a ball.
Knead the dough for 5 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic.
Place in a lightly greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
Set in a warm place for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until doubled in size.
(A gas oven with a pilot light is perfect.) Remove dough from bowl, punch down, and knead on a lightly floured surface for 2 to 3 minutes.
Divide into 2 equal balls and cover lightly with plastic wrap.
Let the dough rest at warm room temperature for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the dough no longer springs back when poked with a finger.
Preheat oven to 500° F.
Roll each ball into a 1/4-inch-thick circle about 12 inches in diameter.
Thirty minutes before baking the pizza, place two pizza stones in the oven to preheat.
If you don't have pizza stones, use baking sheets and preheat in the oven for 10 minutes.
For the topping: In a large, nonstick saute pan, saute the fennel and garlic in the olive oil over high heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
Season with salt and pepper and remove from the heat.
Set aside until needed.
Bake the pizza dough blind (without the topping) on the preheated pizza stones or baking sheets for 5 minutes or until the crust just begins to turn golden brown.
(If there are air bubbles, just pat them down with the back of a spoon.) Divide the fennel-garlic mixture between the 2 crusts; spread evenly over the top of each crust.
Evenly distribute the cheeses over the 2 pizzas.
Bake for 5 minutes or until the cheeses are just melted.
Do not overbake or the cheeses will be rubbery.
Sprinkle with the thyme.
Cut into wedges, and serve immediately.
Chef
