White Pie with Spicy Lemon Arugula
This pizza gave me life all winter. It’s bright, citrusy, spicy, and oh-so-delicious. And as great as it was in the winter months, it’s even better with a glass of rosé out on the terrace. I should know, because I did that on Friday night.
This pie was inspired by a pizza Brian and I had at Denino’s ages ago (you know, the famous one in the city that also has outposts in NJ?), and I became obsessed with perfecting it at home. Pizza night is nearly every Friday at our house (which you already know if you follow me on Instagram!), so I’ve had plenty of time to play with the ingredients. Happily, I’m finally ready to share my recipe with you!
And yes, you can totally use store-bought pizza dough for this recipe BUT before you decide to do that, hear me out. This dough is not only super easy, it’s my absolute favorite dough. It’s crisp yet springy and has a toothsome, savory bite. As long as you plan ahead for the double rise, it takes no time at all. It literally comes together in five minutes and the rest is just, well, resting time. You can even make it a day before and keep it in the fridge—or a month before and keep it in the freezer! The recipe actually makes TWO pizza doughs, so I inevitably use one the same day and place the second in a freezer bag that’s been coated with olive oil for future use. And knowing you have homemade dough in the freezer? Game changer.
So, here it is. My favorite white pizza in the world. Now pour yourself a glass of wine and try it for yourself!
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P.S.—I’d love to know; do you have any weekly rituals that help you get through the weekday grind and toast the weekend?
dough adapted from Jim Leahy’s My Bread; pizza recipe is my own
Serves: 2-3
Prep Time: 2 hours, 35 minutes
Cook Time: about 15 minutes
Ingredients
Dough:
3 ¾ cups bread flour
1 packet yeast (2 ¼ ounce)
¾ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon plus a pinch sugar (it helps activate the yeast!)
1 ¾ cups room temperature water
Pizza topping:
8 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced
½ cup fresh ricotta (Polly-O won’t work. It needs to be actual, fresh rictotta)
¼ cup Pecorino Romano
2 cloves garlic, minced
Arugula topping:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 ½ cups arugula
juice of 1 lemon
zest of 1 lemon
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
¼ teaspoon salt
Directions:
Make the dough: Whisk flour, yeast, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. Slowly add the water while mixing with a rubber spatula. The mixture will form a shaggy dough; if it’s too dry, add a little more water 1 tablespoon at a time but be careful it doesn’t stick to your hands. Once dough comes together, gently give it a few kneads with clean hands (3-4 turns in the bowl) until it comes together in a ball, then cover with a clean cotton towel and allow it to rise in the bowl for 2 hours in a non-drafty area of the kitchen.
After two hours, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured cutting board and slice in half with a pastry cutter. Gently form the two halves into individual ovals about 3 inches apart, then cover with the towel and allow to rise for 30 minutes more. Remember, this makes dough for 2 pizzas. Store the one you aren’t using in an olive-oil coated plastic bag after this rise (unless you’re making both pizzas in the same night, in which case, let’s be best friends).
Make the pizza: Preheat oven to 500°. Drizzle olive on a large cookie sheet. Invert dough and using fingertips, shape the dough into a rectangle to reach the edges. No need to make a “crust”—this pizza gets the topping all the way to the edges! Pop the dough into the oven to bake for 5-6 minutes.
Remove the crust from the oven and add the mozzarella, tearing it into pieces and scattering all over. Sprinkle with salt, then bake for 3-4 min until melted but not set. Remove the crust from the oven and scatter the sautéed garlic, drizzling with a little olive oil. Return pizza to oven for 2 minutes.
Take the pizza out, add the fresh ricotta in dollops (you can add as much as you like! but I find ½-¾ cup suffices), and sprinkle ¼ cup Pecorino overtop. Continue cooking until crust is golden brown, about 5-6 minutes. You’ll know the pizza is done cooking when the crust is crisp and golden still mostly flexible.
Make the salad topping: Whisk together olive olive, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and crushed red pepper. Set aside. When ready to serve, drizzle over the arugula, toss to combine.
Cut the pizza into 8 rectangular slices and top immediately with the arugula salad.
