Cameron’s Four-Cheese Pizza

By AzWench

When my son Cameron was younger, this was the only pizza he would eat. He told me just what he wanted on his pizza, and he’s eaten it the same way ever since.

Ingredients

• Pizza Dough:
• Flour, for the dough
• 12 ounces (1/2 recipe) pizza dough
• 2 tablespoons pesto
• 2 oven-dried tomatoes, cut into thin slices
• 1 cup mozzarella, grated
• 3/4 cup Fontina cheese, grated
• 2 Roma tomatoes, ends trimmed and cut into 12 slices total
• 2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
• 1 teaspoon fresh oregano leaves, chopped
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
• 6-8 large fresh basil leaves
• One 1/4-ounce package dry active yeast
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 cup warm water, 105-115 degrees
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing

Details

Adapted from thedailymeal.com

Preparation

Step 1

Place a pizza stone on the middle rack of the oven and preheat the oven to 500 degrees.

On a lightly floured surface, stretch or roll out the dough into one 10-inch round or two 8-inch rounds.

Transfer the dough to a wooden pizza paddle or a lightly floured cookie sheet. Brush the dough lightly with the pesto and scatter the oven-dried tomatoes evenly around the inner circle of the pizza.

Sprinkle with the mozzarella and Fontina cheese, evenly arrange the slices of the Roma tomatoes, and then sprinkle with the goat cheese, oregano, thyme, and the Parmesan.

Slide the pizza off a paddle or cookie sheet onto the hot pizza stone. Bake until the pizza crust is nicely browned, 10-12 minutes. When the pizza is removed from the oven, transfer to a cutting board and garnish with the basil leaves, cut into slices, and serve immediately.

For the Pizza Dough:

In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast and honey in ¼ cup of the warm water. In a mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine the flour and the salt. Add the oil, yeast mixture, and the remaining ¾ cup of water and mix on low speed until the dough comes cleanly away from the sides of the bowl and clusters around the dough hook, about 5 minutes.

The pizza dough can also be made in a food processor. Dissolve the yeast as above. Combine the flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse once or twice, add the remaining ingredients, and process until the dough begins to form a ball.

Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and knead by hand for 2-3 minutes. The dough should be smooth and firm. Cover the dough with a clean, damp towel and let it rise in a warm spot for about 30 minutes. When ready, the dough will stretch as it is lightly pulled.

Place a pizza stone on the middle rack of the oven and preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Divide the dough into 4 balls, about 6 ounces each. Work each ball by pulling down the sides and tucking under the bottom of the ball. Repeat 4-5 times. Then on a smooth, un-floured surface, roll the ball under the palm of your hand until the top of the dough is smooth and firm, about 1 minute. Cover the dough with a damp towel and let it rest for 15-20 minutes. At this point, the balls can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for up to 2 days.

To prepare each pizza, dip the ball of dough into flour, shake off the excess flour, place the dough on a clean, lightly floured surface, and start to stretch the dough. Press down on the center, spreading the dough into an 8-inch circle, with the outer border a little thicker than the inner circle. If you find this difficult to do, use a small rolling pin to roll out the dough. Lightly brush the inner circle of the dough with oil and arrange the toppings of your choice over the inner circle.

Using a lightly floured baker’s peel or a rimless flat baking tray, slide the pizza onto the baking stone and bake until the pizza crust is nicely browned, 10-12 minutes. Remember that the oven is very hot and be careful as you place the pizza into and out of the oven. Transfer the pizza to a firm surface and cut into slices with a pizza cutter or very sharp knife. Serve immediately.
Details

Makes dough for four 8-inch pizzas