Pizza - Stuffed - KA

By mariannefeldman

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/portable-pizza-recipe
King Arthur Flour
Portable Pizza

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Everyone loves pizza, right? It comes under the heading of Things We Never Get Tired Of Our Whole Lives, like chocolate cake, and Chinese food, and ice cream. But how can you enjoy pizza at a picnic? Cold, congealed and tough -- or the following way, with a top crust to keep the filling soft and delicious. This double-crust pizza is spectacular right out of the oven, the bubbly filling nesting inside a crisp, chewy crust. Later, it becomes more like a sandwich -- less crisp, but still chewy and delicious.
Poolish (Starter)

Ingredients

• 1 cup (4 1/4 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) water
• 1/8 teaspoon instant yeast
• Dough
• 2 1/4 cups (9 1/2 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 3/4 cup (6 ounces) lukewarm water
• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon pizza dough flavor* (optional)
• 1 teaspoon instant yeast*
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon (1/2 ounce) olive oil
• Poolish: In a mixing bowl or the pan of your bread machine, stir together the 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup water and 1/8 teaspoon yeast. Set aside, covered, to rest for 6 to 12 hours (overnight is fine).

Preparation

Step 1

Dough: Add the flour and water to the poolish , mix well, and allow to rest for 20 minutes. Add the remaining dough ingredients, mixing and kneading briefly to form a semi-smooth dough. The dough should be slightly sticky and soft feeling, and may still have a rough surface. We recommend kneading about 5 minutes in the bread machine or electric mixer, 6 or 7 by hand. Allow the dough to rise, covered, for 45 minutes; gently fold the edges to the middle, turn it over, and let it rise an additional 45 minutes. Prepare your choice of fillings while the dough is rising for the second time.

Spinach and Cheese Filling
10 ounces fresh spinach (about 8 cups, cleaned and torn) OR 2 10-ounce packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and thoroughly squeezed dry
4 cups mushrooms, washed and sliced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and sliced (optional)
Clean and remove the stems from the spinach. Heat a large skillet until hot, add the oil and garlic, then immediately add the mushrooms. Stir with a heatproof spatula; the mushrooms will begin to give off their juice. After about 2 minutes, add the spinach, salt and pepper. Cook just enough to wilt the spinach. Remove the pan from the stove, and set aside till you're ready to use the filling.

Ricotta and Basil Filling
1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese (part skim is fine)
1 lightly packed cup fresh basil, shredded
1 large green or red pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup golden baking onions (optional)
Mix the ricotta with the cleaned and shredded fresh basil. Add the diced peppers, salt, black pepper, minced garlic, cheeses and onions (if you're using them). Set aside.

Assembly: Divide the dough in half. Roll one half into a 14-inch circle. Place it in a lightly greased round pizza pan, or on a lightly greased or parchment-lined pan of sufficient size to hold it. Top with the filling of your choice, leaving a 1/2-inch margin around the edge of the dough. Roll the second piece of dough into a 14-inch circle. Place it over the top of the filling, press down all over. Pull the edges of the bottom dough up and over the edges of the top dough, and press together to seal. Cut several small holes in the top to allow steam to escape while baking. Let the pizza rest and rise for 20 minutes, while you're preheating your oven to 500°F.

Bake the pizza for 30 to 35 minutes, or until it's golden brown all over. Let it cool for about 5 minutes before cutting, so the filling has time to "settle." Yield: 8 large servings.

*Available through our catalogue.