Neapolitan Pizza with Mascarpone, Speck, Arugula, and Fig | culture: the word on cheese
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Neapolitan Pizza with Mascarpone, Speck, Arugula, and Fig


neapolitan pizza

Neapolitan Pizza with Mascarpone, Speck, Arugula, and Fig

Making pizza dough from scratch takes time, but the tang of the finished product is worth it. This dough can be made a day ahead.
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • DOUGH:
  • cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • teaspoons instant yeast
  • 2 cups cold water
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  •  
  • PIZZA:
  • 8 ounces mascarpone cheese room temperature
  • Kosher salt to taste
  • Ground black pepper to taste
  • 4 ounces speck or prosciutto
  • 8 ounces fresh black Mission figs quartered
  • 4 ounces baby arugula
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions
 

  • DOUGH:
  • Whisk together flour, salt, and yeast in a large bowl. Add water and olive oil and stir until no dry flour remains and the mixture becomes a shaggy mass. Cover bowl loosely with a dishtowel or plastic wrap and let rise for 30 minutes.
  • Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for 5 minutes, or until soft and elastic. If dough sticks at any point, sprinkle with additional flour.
  • Place dough in a large, greased bowl and cover loosely. Let dough rise until doubled in size, about 1½ hours.
  • Divide dough into 4 even balls. Transfer to a lightly greased baking sheet, brush with a bit of oil, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 to 2 days.
  • PIZZA:
  • Remove dough from refrigerator and rest on the counter for 30 to 45 minutes. Meanwhile, place a pizza stone on a rack in the lower third of the oven and heat oven to 500°F.
  • Stretch dough into 10-inch rounds. Dust a pizza peel, cutting board, or overturned baking sheet with semolina or cornmeal. Transfer stretched dough to dusted surface, then give it a little shake to ensure dough isn’t sticking.
  • Cover dough with mascarpone and season with salt and pepper. Tear speck into bite-size pieces and scatter on top of mascarpone. Add figs.
  • Transfer pizzas to heated stone. Bake until crust is well browned, 10 to 12 minutes.
  • When pizzas are cooked, toss arugula with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Top each pizza with dressed greens and serve immediately.

Photo Credit Jennifer Silverberg

Cassy Vires

Cassy is an award-winning chef, culinary educator, and avid baker located in St. Louis, MO.

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