Bacon and Clams Pizza

By tulawdog

Ingredients

• For Jim Lahey pizza dough:
• 3 3/4 cups (500 grams) bread flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons (10 grams) active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon (5 grams) salt
• 1 teaspoon (5 grams) sugar
• 1/3 cup (300 grams) water, room temp’
• XV olive oil
• For the bacon and clams topping:
• 36 littleneck clams, cleaned
• 2 shallot, finely chopped
• 2 garlic clove, sliced
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 2 sprig thyme
• 1 lb bacon, sliced
• 1/2 cup crème fraîche or sour cream
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 2 egg yolks
• parsley, chopped
• XV olive oil

Preparation

Step 1

For the pizza dough:

In a bowl, stir together the flour, yeast, salt and sugar. Add the water and, using a wooden spoon mix until blended, at least 30 seconds. Cover the bowl and let it sit at room temperature until the dough has more than doubled in volume, about 2 hours.
Remove the dough from the bowl onto a floured surface, divide into two halves and cover with moistened kitchen towel for 30 minutes.
When ready to cook, roll out the dough on a floured surface to the desired size and thickness. Place on a floured pizza peel or the back of a baking tray. Brush olive oil over the whole surface.
For the pizza:

Place a pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 500′F.
Make sure to wash the clams well in a lot of cold water.
In a large skillet, cook the bacon until it renders some of it fat. Place on paper towel and cut into pieces.
Add the shallots, garlic and thyme to the same skillet over high heat. Add the clams and white wine. Cover with a lid and let the clams steam open for 5 to 7 minutes. Remove the opened clams to a tray to cool (discard the ones that won’t open), reduce the liquid for a few minutes. Remove the clams from their shells, discard the shells, mix them in with the cooked shallots and garlic and some of the cooking liquid.
In a bowl, mix the crème fraîche with the flour and egg yolks.
Brush olive oil over the whole surface of the pizza and top with the crème fraîche mixture, the clams and bacon pieces.
Bake until crisp, bubbly and golden. About 10 minutes but timing varies depending on ovens.