Shaved Asparagus Pizza

    Dough:

INGREDIENTS

    1⁄4  ounce dry yeast

    1 cup water, lukewarm

    1 teaspoon sugar

    3 cups bread flour

    1⁄2 teaspoon salt

Directions

    In a glass or plastic bowl, combine yeast, water, and sugar (the water can just be water from the tap, make sure it’s below 100°F).

    Stir to dissolve the yeast and let the yeast “bloom” for 15 minutes.

    Stir in 1 cup flour, add salt, and then stir in another cup of flour (the remaining cup of flour will be your “bench” flour and added flour).

    Dump mixture onto kneading board and work in last cup of flour, kneading until dough is soft and elastic, but not sticky. Form dough into a ball.

    In another bowl, pour in the 1 tbsp olive oil and spread around.

    Coat ball of dough with oil and cover bowl with a damp towel and let dough rise for 40 minutes.

    Punch down dough and knead on board about 2 minutes. Dough is now ready to spread in the pan.

    To avoid sticking of crust, lightly spray pizza pan with olive oil or vegetable oil spray and then work dough to pan (or use free form pan) – this dough is enough for 1 14-in pizza with a thin bottom crust and enough dough around the edge to munch.

  Pizza:

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup shredded provolone cheese
1 bunch of asparagus, washed and trimmed
5 1/4 ounces Boursin cheese (or other garlic and herb spreadable cheese)
Fresh cracked black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. If not already shaped, stretch your pizza dough into a large rectangle or circle 14 inches in diameter and place on your pizza pan or stone. Drizzle dough with a thin stream of olive oil.

2. Sprinkle mozzarella and provolone evenly over dough.

3. Using a vegetable peeler, shave the asparagus into thin ribbons. Use the entire bunch, as you might only get 3 or 4 good ribbons from each spear. Pile asparagus shavings on top of the cheese.

4. Top asparagus with several cranks of black pepper and dot generously with Boursin cheese.

5. Bake on pizza stone or baking sheet for 15 to 20 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Let cool for 2 to 3 minutes before slicing and serving.