Mushroom Pizza with Havarti Cheese, Fresh Herbs, and White Truffle Oil
Yield: 2Large Servings; (One 10 to 11-Inch Pizza
Prep: 2 hourshours15 minutesminutes
Cook: 8 minutesminutes
Additional Time: 7 minutesminutes
Total: 2 hourshours30 minutesminutes
This incredible mushroom pizza is topped with aged havarti cheese, assorted sauteed mushrooms with herbs, and finished with a drizzle of white truffle oil. Rich and wonderfully addictive, you won't be able to stop at one slice! Serve as a main course or cut into small pieces as a decadent appetizer.
Ingredients
Pizza Dough:
1¼cups (150 g)unbleached all-purpose flour
¾teaspoongranulated sugar
¼teaspoonactive dry yeast
½teaspoonDiamond Cyrstal kosher salt
¼cup + 3 tablespoons (105 mL)warm water (105°F to 115°F)
1½teaspoonsextra virgin olive oil
semolina flourfor dusting
Toppings:
2tablespoonsolive oilplus more for brushing
6ouncesshiitake mushroomsstems removed and sliced into ¼-inch slices
4ouncesbaby bella mushroomsstems removed and sliced into ¼-inch slices
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
2large garlic clovesfinely chopped
1tablespoonroughly chopped fresh rosemary1 to 2 sprigs
2teaspoonsroughly chopped fresh thyme leaves3 to 4 sprigs
Prepare pizza dough: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt and yeast. Add the warm water, and stir mixture with a wooden spoon until the dough just begins to come together. Place the dough on a floured surface and knead it for three minutes, or until it is smooth and slightly elastic. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 2 hours or until double in size.
Prepare mushrooms: Heat a 10 to 12-inch (the more surface area, the better) skillet over very high heat. Add the olive oil, followed by the sliced mushrooms, spreading into a single layer with a wooden spoon. Continue to saute for 5 to 6 minutes. The mushrooms will quickly begin to release their moisture, keep cooking until most of the liquid has evaporated. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Add the chopped garlic and continue to saute, stirring constantly, for 1 to 2 minutes. De-glaze the pan with the dry sherry. Place back on the heat, add the chopped rosemary and thyme, and continue to cook over medium high heat until all of the sherry has evaporated. Set aside mushrooms to cool.
Assemble pizza: Preheat the oven and a baking steel (or pizza stone) to 500°F (260°C), with a rack in the upper third of the oven, for at least 1 hour. On a lightly floured surface, roll or stretch the dough until it forms a rough 10-inch circle. The dough will be thin. Transfer it to a pizza peel dusted with semolina flour.
Brush the top of the dough lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the pizza, leaving a ¾-inch border on the edges. Spoon the mushrooms and distribute them evenly on top of the cheese. Slide the pizza gently onto the baking steel or stone and bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until the dough is golden and the cheese is melted and bubbly. If you wish, you can finish the pizza under the broiler for extra color, but watch it carefully. Immediately drizzle the top of pizza with white truffle oil, and garnish with additional rosemary sprigs or thyme leaves, if desired. Slice and serve.