Pizza Bianca, Homemaking & Seasons

 

I’m in a season of BUSY. I’ve got no lies to tell.

Probably the busiest season of my whole adult life, I think, save the med school years.  I didn’t really see it coming either, but in so many ways, it’s been so good for me and good for our family.

And in some ways we’ve suffered—the laundry has piled up, the eggs have run out, the collard greens have gone bad, (note to self, for the love of all things pleasant smelling, DO NOT EVER LET THE COLLARD GREENS GO BAD) and the running shoes are a little stiff.  All that to say, it’s been wonderful but it hasn’t all been unicorns and butterflies.

All in all we’re better and different. We keep learning and adapting and finding news ways to be there for each other.  Otherwise known as, Stevie made dinner last week.   #cuethehallelujahchorus

Birthing a book and a new business has its cost and sometimes you just gotta do whatcha gotta do, i.e., #hustle and #gitrdone  You have no idea the degree of full on HUNKERING DOWN I’m about to do when cold weather gets here.  It will be an inspiring season of knitting, netflixing, soup stirring, and book reading. You mark my words.

But what keeps my feet firmly planted on the ground is the ongoing date I have with my kitchen. We are food people so no matter how crazy life gets, we find a way to make a fuss come supper time.

I’m always yammering on about soup so I thought I’d share an oldie but goodie and a favorite with so many of my soups—pizza bianca! I canNOT tell you how much I love this simple little tasty treat. I have

I’m not 100% sure what I’m serving it with this week—maybe Italian Sub Soup, or Cheeseburger Soup, or even Cheese Tortellini).

I make it a point to get the dough and the soup going early in the day and then finish it closer to dinner.

Just FYI:  It tastes better when you’re table looks like a party.  Just walk outside and gather up some pine cones and acorns, and snatch  a few maple branches from the trees.  Sometimes I steal some pumpkins from the front porch.

I’ve used this exact set up for the teens table at Thanksgiving day, so keep them handy and none of the pretty things will go to waste!

 

For the Dough:

• 3 1/2 cups of flour (I usually start with 3 cups and then add more flour as needed to make a dough that isn’t sticky)
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 T. sugar
• 1 cup of cold water
• 1 package of yeast

In a standard mixer (fitted with a dough hook if possible), (preferably a kitchen aid standing mixer so it can do all the work), add 3 cups of flour, the yeast, oil, salt, and sugar. Slowly add the water, until all the flour is incorporated. Mix the dough for 2-3 minutes or until the flour all pulls away from the side of the bowl. The dough will most likely be sticky to the touch. Slowly add more flour, (probably another 1/2 cup but potentially up to 3/4 cup) and continue to mix, until the flour is all incorporated and the dough is no longer sticky at all. Mix for a total of 8 minutes. Place the dough in a well oiled bowl and let rise until it doubles in size. My oven has a proofing setting (about 170 degrees) so I always proof my breads in the oven. It significantly shortens the rising time but at least find the warmest spot in your kitchen, free from drafts, and let rise a couple of hours. I cover my dough bowl with a damp flour sac and then it rise for a couple of hours, until it’s doubled in size.

Then, you divide the dough in half and form each dough ball into a crust. This is a little tricky, in my humble opinion. If you use a rolling pin to roll it out, then you don’t get the taller outer edges. So, I take my time and do this part by hand, leaving the outer lip a little higher, so that honey and other ingredients aren’t spilling over the edge. I use a liberal amount of flour to roll it out and then make sure you use a very liberal amount of corn meal underneath the crust so that it doesn’t stick to the pizza peel.

For Pizza Bianca: Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with course salt and dried thyme.

Here’s what mine looked like after the drizzle and sprinkle.

 

Bake at 475-500 for about 15 minutes, until lightly brown on top.

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Let me know what you think of the PB if you make it!!

And tell me what season you’re currently in?  I’d love to know!