Semolina Pizza with Fresh Herbs and Goat Cheese

Makes two 12-inch pizzas

Using a baking stone or tiles will help approximate the intense heat of a woodfired pizza oven, resulting in a better pizza crust. Use a baker’s peel to transfer the prepared pizza to the stone. If you don’t have a peel, you can substitute a baking sheet with no edge on one or more sides. Scatter the peel or baking sheet with cornmeal, place the dough round on it, layer on the toppings, and then use a quick, jerking motion to slide the bread from the peel or pan onto the hot stone.

Ingredients

Pizza Dough

  • 3 1/2 cups bread flour plus extra as needed
  • 1/2 cup semolina or durum flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
  • 1 1/2 cups room-temperature water (68 to 76°F)
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil plus extra for greasing
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • Cornmeal for dusting

Topping

  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 red onion, cut into matchsticks or thin slices
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves
  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano leaves
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • 5 oz fresh goat cheese, crumbled
  • 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

 

Directions

  1. To prepare the dough, combine the flours and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Add the water, olive oil, and salt and mix on low speed for 2 minutes. Increase the speed to medium and knead until the dough is quite elastic but still a little sticky, 4 minutes.
  2. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turn to coat, cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel, and let rise in a warm place until nearly doubled in size, about 30 minutes. Fold the dough gently, cover, and let rest until relaxed, 15 to 20 minutes, before cutting it into 2 equal pieces and rounding into smooth balls. Cover the dough and let rest another 15 to 20 minutes.
  3. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Prepare 2 baking sheets by scattering them with cornmeal.
  4. To shape the pizza dough, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and, working with one piece at a time, press the dough into a disk of even thickness, 1/8- to 1/4-inch, stretching and turning the dough as you work or using a rolling pin. You may finish stretching the dough by flipping it: With the dough resting on the backs of your hands, simultaneously spin the dough and toss it into the air. As it falls back down, catch it on the backs of your hands once more.
  5. Continue until the dough is an evenly thick 12-inch round.
  6. Transfer the dough rounds to the cornmeal-scattered baking sheets.
  7. Drizzle each pizza with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, then scatter with the remaining topping ingredients, leaving a 1/2-inch-wide margin around the edge. Drizzle an additional 1 tablespoon of oil over each pizza and bake until golden brown around the edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Serve at once.

CIA FOODIES

Semolina Pizza with Fresh Herbs and Goat Cheese

Semolina Pizza with Fresh Herbs and Goat Cheese
Makes two 12-inch pizzas Using a baking stone or tiles will help approximate the intense heat of a woodfired pizza oven, resulting in a better pizza crust. Use a baker’s peel to transfer the prepared pizza to the stone. If you don’t have a peel, you can substitute a baking sheet with no edge on one or more sides. Scatter the peel or baking sheet with cornmeal, place the dough round on it, layer on the toppings, and then use a quick, jerking motion to slide the bread from the peel or pan onto the hot stone.

Ingredients

Pizza Dough
  • 3 1/2 cups bread flour plus extra as needed
  • 1/2 cup semolina or durum flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
  • 1 1/2 cups room-temperature water (68 to 76°F)
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil plus extra for greasing
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • Cornmeal for dusting
Topping
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 red onion, cut into matchsticks or thin slices
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves
  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano leaves
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • 5 oz fresh goat cheese, crumbled
  • 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
 

Directions

  1. To prepare the dough, combine the flours and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Add the water, olive oil, and salt and mix on low speed for 2 minutes. Increase the speed to medium and knead until the dough is quite elastic but still a little sticky, 4 minutes.
  2. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turn to coat, cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel, and let rise in a warm place until nearly doubled in size, about 30 minutes. Fold the dough gently, cover, and let rest until relaxed, 15 to 20 minutes, before cutting it into 2 equal pieces and rounding into smooth balls. Cover the dough and let rest another 15 to 20 minutes.
  3. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Prepare 2 baking sheets by scattering them with cornmeal.
  4. To shape the pizza dough, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and, working with one piece at a time, press the dough into a disk of even thickness, 1/8- to 1/4-inch, stretching and turning the dough as you work or using a rolling pin. You may finish stretching the dough by flipping it: With the dough resting on the backs of your hands, simultaneously spin the dough and toss it into the air. As it falls back down, catch it on the backs of your hands once more.
  5. Continue until the dough is an evenly thick 12-inch round.
  6. Transfer the dough rounds to the cornmeal-scattered baking sheets.
  7. Drizzle each pizza with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, then scatter with the remaining topping ingredients, leaving a 1/2-inch-wide margin around the edge. Drizzle an additional 1 tablespoon of oil over each pizza and bake until golden brown around the edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Serve at once.

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