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New York-Style Sausage & Mushroom Pizza

Source of Recipe

From "Williams-Sonoma Comfort Food"


Recipe Introduction

"A simple tomato sauce is the perfect backdrop for this classic pie oozing with melted mozzarella and studded with savory pork sausage and sliced mushrooms. One secret to great pizza is great dough, and the key to great dough is a slow rise. For the best results, make the dough at least 9 or 10 hours before baking."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ Pizza Dough (see recipe)
â—¦ 1 cup canned crushed plum tomatoes
â—¦ 1 teaspoon dried oregano
â—¦ ½ pound cremini or button mushrooms, sliced
â—¦ Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
â—¦ ½ pound sweet or hot Italian pork sausages, casings removed
â—¦ All-purpose or bread flour and cornmeal for dusting
â—¦ 1 pound fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
â—¦ 4 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese


Recipe

The night before serving, prepare the pizza dough and refrigerate. Remove the dough from the refrigerator 1 to 2 hours before forming the pizzas. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven. Place a large pizza stone on the rack, and preheat the oven to 450° F, allowing at least 30 minutes for the oven to preheat fully.

To make the pizza sauce, in a bowl, mix together the tomatoes, 1 tablespoon of the oil, and the oregano. Set aside.

To prepare the toppings, in a large frying pan, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring, until they give off their juices and are browned, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add the sausages to the pan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring and breaking them up with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Transfer to the bowl with the mushrooms. Set aside.

Divide the dough in half and shape each half into a taut ball. Place one ball on a lightly floured work surface. Return the other dough ball to its bowl and cover. Roll, pat, and stretch the dough into a round about 12 inches in diameter.

Generously dust a pizza wheel with flour. Transfer the dough to the peel and reshape into a round as needed. Spread with half of the sauce, leaving a ¾-inch border uncovered. Top with half of the mozzarella, then half of the mushroom mixture. Slide the pizza off the peel onto the hot stone.

Bake until the crust is golden brown, about 12 minutes. While the first pizza is baking, repeat with the remaining dough, tomato sauce, mozzarella, and mushroom mixture, so the second pizza is ready to bake when the first one comes out of the oven. Using a wide spatula or a rimless baking sheet, remove the baked pizza from the oven and transfer to a cutting board. Sprinkle with half of the Parmesan cheese. Slide the second pizza onto the hot stone and bake for about 12 minutes. Cut and serve the first pizza. When the second pizza is done, top with remaining Parmesan cheese, cut, and serve.


Makes two 12-inch pizzas