Mushroom Pizza with Sage, Fontina and Parmesan

Amazing, but true—the snow did follow me to the West Coast. First Boston, now this. Woke up with 4 or 5 inches of fresh snow on the hills of Whidbey Island. Magical, but I’ve had enough. 

Mushroom Pizza with Sage, Fontina, and Parmesan

Adapted from Baking Illustrated

INGREDIENTS for the Basic Pizza Dough

1/2 cup warm water (about 110°)

1 envelope (2 1/4 tsp.) instant yeast

1 1/4 cups water, at room temperature

2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

2 cups (22 oz.) bread flour, plus more for dusting (used all-purpose)

2 cups whole-wheat flour

1 1/2 tsp. salt

olive oil or non-stick cooking spray for greasing the bowl

For the Extras
3 cups pizza sauce, I use marinara

1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced thin

6 ounces fontina cheese

1 tsp minced sage leaves

6 tablespoons grated Parmesan

DIRECTIONS

1. Measure the warm water into a 2-cup liquid measuring cup. Sprinkle in the yeast and let stand until the yeast dissolves and swells, about 5 minutes. Add the room temperature water and stir to combine.
2. Add flour and salt to the liquid ingredients. Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Form the dough into a ball, put it in a deep oiled bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Press the dough to deflate it.
3. Shape into smooth round ball and cover with a damp cloth. Let dough relax for at least 10 minutes (no more than 30 minutes)
4. Saute mushrooms with sage.
5. Brush rolled out dough round with oil. Spread 1 cup tomato sauce even over dough round, leaving ½ inch border. Scatter a third of the mushrooms and then ½ cup fontina cheese over the sauce.
6. Slide on peel (covered with corn meal) onto pizza stone (which should have been heated for at least 30 minutes at 500 degrees) and bake for 8 to 12 minutes. Remove pizza from oven and sprinkle with Parmesan.
7. Repeat with the two other rounds.