SALTY, SWEET SALMON AND BRIE PIZZA WITH ARUGULA SALAD TOPPER

To make the dough for the crust (or you can use store bought dough), place olive oil, honey, and water into the bowl of a stand mixer.  Stir to dissolve honey into the warm water (so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the bowl).  Sprinkle the yeast on top of the liquid, stir, and let sit for 5-10 minutes until yeast becomes foamy.  Add salt and 2 ½ cups of the flour.  Mix using the dough hook attachment.  Gradually add as much of the remaining flour as needed until a ball forms.  Empty dough onto a floured countertop and knead for 8-10 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic, adding flour as needed if sticky.

Place dough in a greased bowl and cover with a clean kitchen towel.  Let rise in a warm spot for 1 hour until doubled in bulk.  Knead dough briefly and divide into 2 equal parts and form balls.  Let rest for 30 minutes on the countertop under a clean kitchen towel.  If you are not using both balls, refrigerate each ball in a plastic bag sprayed with cooking spray for up to 5 days.

Heat oven to 425 degrees and place pizza stone in oven.  Preheat the stone for at least 30 minutes. You can also cook the pizza on a flat baking sheet, but a stone makes the best crust!

Form pizza dough into a 14” round and transfer to a pizza peel dusted with cornmeal (so pizza will easily slide off and onto the stone).  Brush the dough all over with the 1 tablespoon of olive oil.

Heat a small frying pan over medium heat and add the pancetta.  Cook, stirring frequently, until fat is rendered and pancetta is lightly browned and fragrant.  Set aside.

Remove most of the rind from the brie cheese and break into 1-2” pieces spreading them evenly over the dough, leaving about 1” of the crust exposed.  Follow with salmon pieces and then sprinkle the pancetta, capers, sun-dried tomatoes, and ¼ cup of the parmesan cheese evenly over the top.  Season with cracked black pepper.

Slide the pizza carefully onto the preheated pizza stone.  Bake for 12-14 minutes until crust is browned and brie is bubbly.  Salmon will be just cooked through.

Toss arugula in a small bowl with the one teaspoon olive oil and ½ teaspoon vinegar.

Remove the pizza from the oven and top with the arugula salad in the center and sprinkle all over with the remaining 1 tablespoon of grated parmesan cheese.

Devour a slice!  YUM!