Pickled Vegetable Pizza

• • • Makes 1 large pizza, enough for 4 servings • • •

I concede that pickled vegetable pizza sounds unconventional, and also that you will not find it on most pizzeria menus in Italy. But I can’t think of a better way to offset the rich creaminess of fresh mozzarella than some colorful, lightly brined or pickled veggies: artichokes, eggplant, mushrooms, olives, oven-roasted tomatoes, peppers . . . all of them are at home on top of a pizza. Choose from the list of suggestions or add your own touch.

3 cups (380 g) Caputo “00” flour for pizza (see Sources) or bread flour

2 teaspoons rapid-rise yeast

1½ teaspoons fine sea salt

1 cup (237 g) warm water (100 to 110°F)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, or as needed

1½ cups (340 g) Small-Batch Tomato Sauce (page 120) or Bottled Whole Tomatoes (page 115), crushed

8 to 12 ounces (227 to 340 g) fresh mozzarella

Assortment of pickled and preserved vegetables, such as:

Baby Artichokes in Oil (page 26)

Eggplant in Oil (page 36)

Sweet-and-Sour Roasted Peppers with Capers (page 38)

Oven-Roasted Tomatoes in Oil (page 132)

Grilled Mixed Mushrooms in Oil (page 32)

Salt-Cured Olives (page 177) or Brine-Cured Olives (page 179)

Equipment

13- or 14-inch round pizza pan or 11- by 17-inch rimmed baking sheet

Pizza stone or baking steel (optional; see Cook’s Note)

Wooden pizza peel, if using a pizza stone or baking steel

1 • Add the flour, yeast, and salt to the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade and pulse to combine. With the motor running, drizzle in the water and 1 tablespoon of the oil through the feed tube and process until a ball of dough forms.

2 • Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until it is smooth and elastic, 3 to 5 minutes. Form the dough into a ball. Grease the inside of a large ceramic or glass bowl with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and place the dough inside, turning it to coat it with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours to allow it to rise slowly—6 to 8 if you have the time. Remove the dough from the refrigerator at least 1 hour before shaping it. If you are pressed for time, put the bowl in a warm place and let the dough rise until doubled in volume, 1½ to 2 hours.

3 • Preheat the oven to 500°F. If using a pizza stone or a baking steel, place it in the oven while it is preheating.

4 • Lightly coat a 13- or 14-inch round pizza pan or 11- by 17-inch rimmed baking sheet with oil. If you’re baking the pizza directly on the stone or steel, place the dough on a lightly floured pizza peel. With oiled fingers, gently stretch and press the dough out toward the rim of the pan or the peel. This will take a little while, since the dough has a tendency to spring back. If this happens, let it rest for a minute, then continue.

5 • Spoon as much (or as little) of the tomato sauce as you like over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border. Arrange the mozzarella slices and your selection of vegetables over the sauce. Don’t overdo it or you will weigh the pizza down.

6 • If you are using the stone or steel, gently slide the pizza from the peel onto the stone or steel. Bake until the cheese is melted and just beginning to brown in spots and the crust is crisped and puffed up around the edges, about 5 minutes. If you want to char the crust, turn on the broiler and broil the pizza for about a minute, just until the crust is blackened in a few places.

7 • Let the pizza rest for 5 minutes before cutting into wedges or rectangles and serving.

Cook’s Note • Pizza stones for the home cook have been around for a long time, but the baking steel is a recent addition to the world of pizza-making equipment. This slim but hefty sheet of metal is an excellent heat conductor and creates really good chewy-crispy crusts. (see Sources, for more information.)