NEW HAVEN WHITE CLAM PIZZA

NEW HAVEN WHITE CLAM PIZZA image

Number Of Ingredients 14

Ingredients

FOR THE DOUGH:
1 package dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup warm water
2 to 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt Cornmeal
FOR THE TOPPING:
3 large garlic cloves
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 dozen just-shucked littleneck clams
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Barb Sloane added pesto sauce, grated fontina cheese and spinach
Andi Escalette added bacon

Steps:

TO MAKE THE DOUGH: Dissolve the yeast and sugar in 1/4 cup of the warm water in a small bowl. Stir the remaining 3/4 cup water into 2 cups of the flour in a large bowl. Add the salt, and when the yeast is bubbly, add it, too. Stir it all together and turn the dough out onto a floured board. Let the dough rest while you clean and oil a large ceramic bowl. Knead the dough vigorously for a full 15 minutes, adding flour if necessary to create a silky dough. Return it to the bowl and cover it with two tight layers of plastic wrap. Let it rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 2 to 3 hours. Place a pizza stone on the bottom rack of the oven and preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Punch down the dough and flatten it on a lightly floured board. Pounding with the heel of your hand, carefully and methodically work the dough into a circle no more than 1/4 inch thick in the center, rising to a 1/2-inch ring around the circumference. Sprinkle a baker's peel generously with cornmeal and put the circle of dough on it. Cover it lightly with a sheet of plastic wrap (so it doesn't dry out) and let it rest while you open the clams. TO MAKE THE TOPPING: While the dough is resting, mince the garlic and let it steep in the olive oil. After the dough has rested for 10 to 12 minutes, brush on the oil and garlic, leaving the half-inch circumference untouched. Spread the clams around the pie with a dash of their own juice. Sprinkle on the oregano and cheese. TO BAKE: Use the baker's peel to transfer the pizza to the preheated stone in the oven. (The cornmeal will act as miniature ball bearings to help it slide neatly onto the stone.) Bake for 15 minutes, or until the crust is light brown.