Spinocolli Pizza

Sara McAllister

Pizza Dough

1/2 c warm water
2 1/4 tsp instand yeast
4 c bread flour, plus more for dusting
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 c water, at room temperature
2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil

Pizza Sauce

1 TBSP butter
1 TBSP  flour
3/4 c milk (any kind), heavy cream, or half and half (I use skim milk)
1 clove garlic
Salt and Pepper to taste
6 TBSP freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Pizza

Olive oil
1/2 c packed baby spinach leaves, torn
1 c very small broccoli florets
2 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
2 oz shredded cheddar cheese
Grated Parmesan
Pizza Stone - Kind of essential (if you don't have one, pre-bake the dough)

For the dough, measure the warm water into a 2 cup liquid measuring cup. Sprinkle the yeast over the top. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the bread flour and sat, mixing briefly to blend. Measure the room temp water into the measuring cup with the yeast-water mixture. With the mixer on low speed, pour in the east-water mixture as well as the olive oil. Mix until a cohesive dough is formed. Switch to the dough hook. Knead on low speed until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, turning once to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Press down the dough to deflate it. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface.

Divide the dough into two equal pieces. Form each piece of dough into a smooth round ball. (If freezing the dough, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze at this point). Cover with a damp cloth. Let the dough relax for at least 10 minutes but no longer than 30 minutes.

To make the white sauce for the pizza, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk in the flour and cook, whisking constantly, until bubbling and light golden, about 1 minute. Whisk in the milk and garlic, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens and bubbles. Remove from the heat and whisk in the grated Parmesan until completely melted and smooth. Discard the garlic clove (This will make a bit more sauce than you need for the pizza, but with a little extra cheese it makes a great dipping sauce for the crust!)

To make the pizza, preheat the oven and a pizza stone at 500 degrees for at least 30 minutes. Roll out the pizza dough into a 12-14 inch round. Lightly brush the perimeter of the dough with olive oil. Spread a thin layer of the white sauce over the crust, leaving a border clear around the edge for the crust. Sprinkle the torn spinach leaves over the white sauce. Evenly distribute the broccoli florets over the dough. Layer evenly with the shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheeses. Finish with additional grated Parmesan. Transfer the pizza to the preheated pizza stone and bake until the cheese is melted and bubbling and the crust is lighty browned, about 10-12 minutes.

Enjoy the awesomeness!