Pizza Bianco with prosciutto & nectarines
A delicious pizza Bianco with prosciutto, nectarines, thyme & honey recipe
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Ingredients
Dough: (make the day before) – this will make 3 – 4 pizzas
- 700 gms of strong flour like doppio 00
- 2 tsp table salt
- 1 tsp instant yeast
- 1 ¾ cup ice cold water
- ¼ cup olive oil
- Polenta or semolina flour for baking
Toppings: (I’ve listed the quantities for 1 x pizza)
Before baking:
- Approx. ¼ cup smooth ricotta
- ½ cup grated Kerrygold Mature Cheddar
- Leaves stripped from about 3 small thyme stalks
After baking:
- 1 nectarine sliced into thin wedges
- 40- 50 gms of Prosciutto or Parma ham
- A generous drizzle of honey
Instructions
- Make the dough the day before. Sift the flour, salt, and yeast into a bowl of a stand mixer. Using a spoon, stir in the cold water and olive oil (or use the paddle attachment on low) until all the ingredients are combined.
- Once it has come together, replace it with a dough hook and mix for about 5 – 7 minutes on medium speed until you have a smooth and elastic dough that clears the sides of the bowl but will still be sticking to the bottom. It should be soft and springy to the touch.
- Tip the dough onto a floured surface and using a sharp knife or pastry scraper cut it into 4 equal balls. You could also make 6 small pizzas which would be easier to handle.
- Prepare a baking sheet lined with baking paper and give it a light spritz with olive oil spray (if you have one). Gently shape and lift each dough ball onto the baking paper and slip it into a large plastic bag. Ensure the plastic bag has air inside to prevent it from touching the dough and loosely seal or tuck it under the baking pan and store it in the fridge overnight.
- Take the pizza dough out about an hour before you want to bake it and store it in a warmish place.
- Preheat the oven to the highest temperate 250C /480F and heat a pizza stone in the oven on the lowest third rack in the oven (the position one below the middle). It should take between 45min – 1 hour to preheat the oven and the stone.
- If you do not have a pizza stone, bake the pizza on the bottom of a turned-over baking sheet (but don’t preheat it).
- The dough is very soft and pliable, and it is difficult to roll. The best way is to flour a surface and your hands and then gently tease out the dough to a more or less round shape. You could place it over your floured knuckles and try to stretch it out that way too but that is fairly difficult for a first-time pizza maker. I find it easiest to place a square of baking paper onto a pizza paddle (peel) and then sprinkle that with polenta (or semolina flour).
- Shape the pizza on top of that which ensures it will not stick to the paddle when you slide it onto the pizza stone in the oven. Once the pizza has been shaped and placed on the pizza paddle, let it rest for 5 minutes. It should develop a few bubbles on the surface. This relaxes the gluten.
- Prebake the pizza for 4 minutes to firm up and start the cooking process. Remove and spread over the ricotta and sprinkle over the Cheddar and thyme leaves. Return it to the oven and bake for a further 6 – 7 minutes until bubbling and golden brown. Remove, allow to cool slightly, and top with the sliced nectarines, twirls of prosciutto, and a generous drizzle of honey.
Notes
This pizza is best eaten fresh but and leftover pizza can be stored in the fridge and eaten cold.