Three Cheese White Pizza With Spinach Food

THREE-CHEESE WHITE PIZZA

Steps:

• Make the dough: Combine the yeast, 1 cup warm water (about 100 degrees F) and the sugar in a food processor and pulse once to combine. Let sit until foamy, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the olive oil; pulse to combine. Mix the flour and 2 teaspoons salt in a medium bowl; add to the food processor and pulse until the dough pulls away from the side and gathers around the blade.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and form into 2 even balls. Transfer to 2 lightly oiled bowls; cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 2 to 4 hours. (You can make the dough ahead; wrap in plastic and refrigerate up to 1 week or freeze up to 2 months. Bring to room temperature before using.)
• Set a pizza stone or large baking sheet on the lowest oven rack and preheat to 500 degrees F. Meanwhile, make the topping: Combine the ricotta, parmesan, olive oil, garlic, oregano and red pepper flakes in a bowl; season with salt and set aside.
• Stretch 1 ball of dough into a 12-inch round on a lightly floured pizza peel or inverted baking sheet. Spread half of the ricotta mixture on top, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Top with half of the mozzarella, then brush the edge lightly with olive oil.
• Slide the pizza onto the hot stone or baking sheet and bake until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbling, 7 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and let cool 2 minutes before slicing. Repeat to make the second pizza.

SPINACH AND THREE-CHEESE PIZZA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 550 degrees (or highest temperature) with a pizza stone placed on lowest rack for at least 30 minutes. Top a pizza peel with parchment paper.
• Working with one piece of dough, flatten dough into a disk that is thicker in the center than at the edges. Using your fingers, gently pull on the edges of the dough to form a 12-inch circle; dough should still be thicker in the center. Transfer dough to prepared pizza peel.
• Top dough with one-quarter of the cheeses, spinach, and sliced garlic. Season with pepper and drizzle with olive oil.
• Transfer pizza along with parchment paper to pizza stone and bake until spinach is wilted and slightly browned, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Using pizza peel, remove pizza from oven and top with one-quarter of the mint. Serve with lemon wedges. Repeat process with remaining dough and toppings.

SESAME WHITE PIZZA WITH SPINACH

Steps:

• Make Sheet-Pan Pizza Dough; transfer to the oiled pan as directed in step 3, then shape into an oval and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, patting to adhere. Flip the dough, cover and let rise as directed, then stretch. During the final rise, put a pizza stone or inverted baking sheet in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 500˚ for 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, make the spinach: Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the spinach and cook, tossing with tongs, until wilted, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, the garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the water evaporates and the garlic is just golden, about 3 minutes. Remove the spinach to a cutting board and chop.
• Make the ricotta mixture: Combine the ricotta, pecorino, oregano and a few grinds of pepper in a small bowl.
• Sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon sesame seeds around the edge of the dough to create a 1/4-inch border, pressing to adhere. Sprinkle the mozzarella over the dough up to the sesame border. Top with the spinach, then top with spoonfuls (about 2 tablespoons each) of the ricotta mixture.
• Put the baking sheet directly on the hot stone and bake until the crust is browned around the edges and the cheese is golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool slightly.
• Loosen the edges of the pizza with an offset spatula, then loosen the bottom. Slide the pizza onto a cutting board; cut into squares.