White Pizzas with Arugula

These White Pizzas with Arugula are seriously amazing! Topped with fontina, fresh mozzarella and goat cheese, these are not your basic pepperoni pizza by any means. Simple to make and insanely good!

Do you ever see a recipe and just know you’ll love it? But then you don’t get around to making right away and you forget about it?  Well that’s what happened with these White Pizzas with Arugula. But thanks to my amazing friend Lara, I finally got to taste these pizzas.

We were at Lara & Eric’s house New Year’s Eve and she had everything ready for us to make these pizzas. I knew my husband and I were going to love them, but I was a little worried about my boys, especially Parker.

But guess what? They loved them! In fact, I think a couple of them made themselves a second pizza. Granted, a few of them left off the arugula (dummies!), but the fact that there was no red sauce and/or pepperoni on these pizzas and Parker still ate and loved them . . . that speaks volumes about how amazing these are.

I have Lara to thank twice for this recipe because we ate them at her house, and she also gave me the cookbook this recipe is in for Christmas a few years ago. . . thank you Lara!

I am fully in love with these pizzas. The combination of the garlic oil, the cheeses and the arugula tossed in a lemon vinaigrette is perfect!

CAN I USE MY OWN PIZZA DOUGH RECIPE OR STORE BOUGHT DOUGH INSTEAD?

If you have a pizza dough recipe that you love, then by all means make that.  Or some grocery stores sell premade pizza dough which is fantastically convenient, delicious, and works perfectly with these pizzas. (I love the premade pizza dough from Trader Joes and Winco’s).

CAN I USE OTHER CHEESE?

I’m sure you could, but the combination of the three cheese used in this recipe are what set this pizza apart and seriously take it to a whole new level of deliciousness. But go ahead and play around with different cheeses if you want.

CAN I LEAVE THE ARUGULA OFF OR USE SOMETHING ELSE?

To be honest, I’ve never been a huge fan of arugula, but I love it on this pizza. The combination of the “peppery” flavor of arugula with the three cheeses is seriously amazing! The arugula is tossed in a lemon vinaigrette which adds a whole other layer of flavor. I’m sure mixed greens or spinach would work, just make sure you still use the vinaigrette.

TIPS FOR MAKING THESE PIZZAS:

• If you have a pizza stone and would like to use that instead of a baking sheet, you certainly can.
• If you want to bake all the pizzas at the same time, you will need 3 baking sheets and probably three pizza stones (depending on how big your stones are). Also, you will obviously need more than one oven or a big enough oven to cook them all at the same time.
• I like to sprinkle a little cornmeal on my counter when rolling out the dough and also some on the baking sheet/parchment paper before putting the prepared pizzas on it, this keeps the pizza dough from sticking to the counter and the pan.
• Don’t overload your pizzas with cheese. All the cheeses used on these pizzas are really soft and melt really well. If you put too much cheese, it will melt and run off the sides of the pizza dough and onto your pan (yes, I’m speaking from experience).
• Fresh mozzarella obviously is not easy to grate, so I use a sharp knife and slice/cut it into small chunks and then place a few of those sporadically on top of my pizza.
• Don’t mix the arugula with the vinaigrette until right before you’re ready to top the pizzas off with it. If it sits too long, the arugula will get limp and soggy and who likes anything limp and soggy!
• Make sure you preheat your oven. 

White Pizzas with Arugula

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• Prep Time: 40 mins
• Cook Time: 10 mins
• Total Time: 50 minutes
• Yield: 6 pizzas 1x

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Description

These White Pizzas with Arugula are seriously amazing! Topped with fontina, fresh mozzarella and goat cheese, these are not your basic pepperoni pizza by any means. Simple to make insanely good!

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Ingredients

Dough:

• 1 1/4 cups warm  water
• 2 packages dry yeast
• 1 tablespoon honey
• Good olive oil
• 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for kneading
• Kosher salt

Garlic Oil:

• 4 cloves garlic, sliced
• 5 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Toppings:

• 3 cups grated Italian fontina cheese (8 ounces)
• 1 1/2 cups fresh mozzarella cheese (7 ounces)
• 11 ounces creamy goat cheese, crumbled

Vinaigrette:

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 8 ounces baby arugula

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Instructions

Dough:

1. Combine the water, yeast, honey and 3 tablespoons of olive oil in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. When the yeast is dissolved, add 3 cups of flour, then 2 teaspoons salt, and mix on medium-low speed. While mixing, add up to 1 more cup of flour, or just enough to make a soft dough. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes until smooth, sprinkling it with the flour as necessary to keep it from sticking to the bowl.
2. When the dough is ready, turn it out onto a floured board and knead it by hand a dozen times. It should be smooth and elastic.
3. Place the dough in a well-oiled bowl and turn it to cover it lightly with oil. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Garlic Oil:

1. Place 1/2 cup of olive oil, the garlic, thyme and red pepper flakes in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over low heat. Cook for 10 minutes, making sure the garlic doesn’t burn. Set aside
2. Preheat the oven to 500° (yes, 500!).
3.  Dump the dough onto a board and divide it into 6 equal pieces. Place the doughs on sheet pans lined with parchment paper and cover them with a damp towel. Allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes. Use immediately or refrigerate for up to 4 hours.
4. Press and stretch each ball into an 8-inch circle and place 2 circles on each sheet pan lined with parchment paper. (If you’ve chilled the dough, take it out of the refrigerator approximately 30 minutes ahead to let it come to room temperature.)
5.  Brush the pizzas with the garlic oil then sprinkle each one liberally with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the pizzas evenly with fontina, mozzarella and goat cheese. Drizzle each pizza with 1 tablespoon more of the garlic oil and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until the crusts are crisp and the cheeses begin to brown.

Vinaigrette:

1. While the pizzas are baking, make the vinaigrette by whisking together 1/2 cup of olive oil, the lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
2. When the pizzas are done, place the arugula in a large bowl and toss with just enough lemon vinaigrette to moisten. Place a large bunch of arugula on each pizza and serve immediately.

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Recipe Source: Barefoot Contessa Back To Basics Cookbook