Truffle Mushroom and Ricotta Pizza
We are nearing our last day in New Jersey. Soon, we will be driving off to Cleveland, where we will spend the rest of the year in a bubble with my parents. Before we leave New Jersey we’re going to celebrate the first night Hanukkah with brisket and kasha varnishkes. I’m so excited for dinner tonight! And then we’ll have one more glorious pizza friday to round out a pleasant and safe trip to the east coast.
It’s been such a treat to have such quality and affordable pizza so easily accessible! We have a few new favorite pizza places near us in Richmond but otherwise I prefer Reuben to make pizza for pizza night. He’s so good at it and I love not having to cook for once : )
Reuben shared his prized pizza dough and tips in a blog post last year. I love seeing people make his pizza dough and it immediately triggers a pizza craving. For the first time EVER I made pizza using his dough recipe and I’m quite pleased with myself! Reuben makes forming the rounds of dough so easy, but it definitely takes a bit of practice to get comfortable handling the stretchy dough. I also provided a few tips of my own, that I think make the whole process a little easier.
I wanted to make white pizza (no red sauce) so my toppings of choice were shiitake and oyster mushrooms cooked down with balsamic, creamy ricotta, and a light drizzle of La Tourangelle truffle oil.
the most flavorful mushrooms
I love the blend of shiitake and oyster mushrooms used for the topping. Shiitake mushrooms have a lot of great earthy flavor, some mushrooms provide more texture than flavor, but not these. Oyster mushrooms have a wonderful meaty quality. Mushrooms naturally have a lot of moisture so when cooking them down they tend to shrink quite a bit. These two varieties stay nice and hearty!
The mushrooms are cooked down in olive oil until tender and browned around the edges. Then it’s hit with a splash of La Tourangelle Balsamic Vinegar, which gives it a hint of sweetness and acidity. They are delicious on pizza but would also be amazing in pasta or on a good slice of toast.
Working with Reuben’s Pizza Dough
Reuben’s pizza dough can be found in this New Jersey Tortellini Pizza recipe, however it was written with the intention of kneading by hand. I adjust the recipe slightly to use a standmixer! Recipe with slight modifications included below!
I waited a full 72 hours for the dough to proof and the results were a super airy and flexible dough. Reuben recommends a 24 to 48 hour ferment if it’s your first time working with pizza dough because it won’t be quite as stretchy, which is easier to handle. Instead of eating 3 pizzas in one go (no shame if you do, we have certainly done it), you could make pizza 3 days in a room and see how the dough changes with each passing day fermenting in the fridge.
When assembling and cooking the pizzas I used a sheet of parchment paper. Reuben is very much team “no parchment paper” because he is a purist and believes it hinders the crispiness of the dough, but I think I proved him wrong. Using parchment paper will save you a lot of heartache because it makes the transfer from work surface to pizza stone sooooo much smoother. I don’t know how many times Reuben almost gave up on a pizza all together because the dough stuck to the pizza peel and our pizza became an unintentional calzone. Only way to avoid parchment paper is if you’re speedy and can assemble your pizzas before the dough starts to stick to your peel. So just use parchment paper! It works great!
Reuben can stretch the dough out really thin, somewhere between 12-14” but I get mine somewhere between 10-11”. Either size range will still be delicious. I love my pizza a little doughier anyways : )
Reuben’s pizza dough
makes 3 pizzas
dough:
1 tsp active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
350g (1 1/2 cups) warm water (110-115 degrees Fahrenheit)
1 tbsp olive oil
500g (4 cups) bread flour
1 tsp salt
In a small bowl, whisk to combine yeast, sugar, warm water, and olive oil. Stir thoroughly until the yeast has dissolved. Let sit 10 min. You should be seeing some bubbles underneath the olive oil, which will float on top. The liquid should be cloudy.
In the bowl of standmixer, combine flour and salt. Add water and yeast mixture and mix on medium speed until roughly combined, 5 minutes. Cover bowl with a damp towel and let the bowl sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.
Mix on medium-high until smooth, dough will still be sticky, 7-9 minutes. The dough will be on the wet side and will want to stick to the counter. This isn’t an issue but it’s ok to use a small amount of flour to prevent it from sticking. Just be conscious to not use too much because you want to keep the hydration at around 70% by weight.
After kneading, place in a clean lightly floured mixing bowl and cover with a damp towel. Allow dough to sit at room temperature for about 1hr. The dough should have doubled in size by this point. If it hasn’t double yet, check back in 30 min. Remove from the bowl and divide into thirds. Shape the dough into balls. Here is a great video demonstrating how to shape the balls.
Lightly grease cake pans, dough trays, bowls or large plastic bags with olive oil and place one ball of dough inside each. Plastic bags are a good trick because the bag can be torn open to remove the dough, and when done slowly the dough will not stick. Keep in mind the dough will once again double. If using trays, cake pans, or bowls, cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 24 hours and up to 72 hours. I prefer using a vessel with a flat bottom since it makes the dough easy to remove with a bench scraper.
a simple pizza that feels a little fancy
I love this mushroom and ricotta pizza so much. I think the truffle oil really makes it taste special. By now, you should know I love everything from La Tourangelle makes! But I have a soft spot in my heart for their truffle oil. I use it quite frequently as an instant flavor booster for our nightly bowls of popcorn. A little goes a long way with some flaky sea salt!
Same goes for any pasta and of course pizza. The truffle oil naturally compliments the mushrooms and balances the sweet and acidity from the balsamic (also from La Tourangelle!). Ricotta ties everything together with a neutral creaminess. Each bite is so complex and satisfying. I hope you enjoy it at your next pizza night!
truffle mushroom and ricotta pizza
makes 3 10” pizzas
2 tbsp butter
1/2 lb shiitake mushrooms, roughly chopped or left whole if small in size
1/2 lb oyster mushrooms, roughly chopped
1/2 tsp coarse salt
2 tbsp La Tourangelle Balsamic Vinegar
Reuben’s Pizza Dough (recipe above)
1/4 cup La Tourangelle Olive Oil
1 1/2 cups whole milk ricotta
3 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp chili flake
La Tourangelle White Truffle Oil
chopped green onions, for garnish
steps:
Preheat oven, set with a pizza stone or baking steel, to 550 degrees. Preheat for at least 1 hour to make sure the stone/steel is properly heated.
Remove dough from refrigerator and uncover (or open bags). Lightly flour your work surface and carefully transfer the dough balls onto the work surface with the help of a bench scraper or large spatula. Take care to not flatten or squish the dough. Cover with a kitchen towel and allow dough to warm up for about 30 minutes. The dough should be slightly cooler than room temperature.
Meanwhile, cook the mushrooms. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt butter. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned around the edges, 6 to 8 minutes. Add salt and balsamic vinegar. Continue to cook until balsamic has evaporated, another 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool or until ready to assemble the pizzas.
Working with one dough round at a time, place on top of a sheet of parchment paper. Coat your hands with flour and lightly press the dough down into a circle. You want to be very gentle with the dough as your form the pizza. You can press your fingers around the edge to help define the crust. This border should be no more than 1/2” thick since the crust will grow in the oven. Use the palms of your hands, working in a circular movement to stretch out the dough.
Once the pizza reaches the desired size, between 10 to 12” in diameter, drizzle a little olive oil over the surface, top with 1/3 of the mushroom mixture, and place dollops of ricotta over the surface. Sprinkle with garlic and red pepper flakes.
Slide the pizza onto the pizza peel (a cutting board or baking sheet will work great) with the help of the parchment paper. And “launch” onto the pizza stone/baking steel. Bake until bubbly and golden brown, 8 to 9 minutes. If you have a broiler, turn it on to give the top and crust extra browning, another minute.
Drizzle a little truffle oil over the pizza and allow to cool for a few minutes. Cut pizza into slices and enjoy!
Repeat assembly steps with remaining pizzas.