Pizza Recipes

1 pinch of sugar

3/4 cup warm water, no hotter than 110 (from the tap)

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons sea-salt

Olive oil for the resting bowl

Pizza

1 pint fresh figs, stems removed, sliced to the thickness of a pea.

1/2 pound Prosciutto di Parma from San Daniele. Don't you dare use any other kind.

1 tablespoon fennel seeds

Extra virgin olive oil

pizza dough (above)

Directions:

For Pizza Dough: "Start" the yeast by mixing it with the sugar and water for about seven to ten

minutes. Put the yeast, sugar and water mixture in your stand up mixer, fitted with the dough

hook. Add the flour, olive oil, and salt. Start the machine and let mix until a dough ball forms.

Stop the machine and let the dough rest for three minutes. Pulse the machine three times. Flour

on the counter and put the dough on the floured surface. Knead for five minutes.

Coat a medium-sized bowl with some olive oil. Put the dough in the bowl, then turn the dough

over, so that both sides are covered with a film of oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Put the

bowl in a warm place for 2 hours so the dough can rise. After two hours, punch the dough in the

middle to deflate. Put it on a floured counter. Cut the dough in half, and freeze one half for future

use. Roll the other half into a ball and cover it with the bowl for thirty minutes.

For Fig and Prosciutto Pizza: Toast the fennel seeds in a hot, dry pan-about five minutes. Set

aside. Heat your oven to 4750 with a pizza stone on the highest rack. Use a cookie sheet pan that

has no edges. Cover it well with Wondra flour or cornmeal. Roll out the dough to the size of the

pizza stone.

Transfer the dough onto the floured sheet pan. Spread out a layer of prosciutto, then the figs, on

the dough. Sprinkle the pizza with the toasted fennel. Transfer the pizza to the pizza stone by

putting the sheet pan on the stone and quickly pulling the tray away, so the pizza slides.

Bake for five minutes or until the bottom of the crust is golden brown. Remove the pizza from the

stone by using the sheet pan and a big spatula. Just before serving, put the pizza onto a cutting

board. Drizzle it well with the extra virgin olive oil and cut it in to squares.