Semolina Pizza with Fresh Herbs and Goat Cheese

Semolina Pizza with Fresh Herbs and Goat Cheese
By: The Culinary Institute of America

Pizza Dough:
3 ½ cups bread flour plus extra as needed
½ cup semolina flour (can be found at most supermarkets in their bulk bin area)
1 ½ teaspoon active dry yeast
1 ½ cups room-temperature water
3 Tablespoons olive oil plus extra for greasing
2 teaspoons salt
Cornmeal for dusting

Topping:
4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 red onion, cut into thin slices
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves
1 teaspoon dry oregano
1 clove garlic, minced
Freshly ground pepper
5 oz fresh goat cheese crumbled or crumbled feta cheese
4 Tablespoons freshly ground parmesan cheese
6 sun-dried tomatoes, drained, sliced thin, then cubed

To prepare the dough, combine the flours and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Add the water, olive oil, and salt and mix on low speed for 2 minutes. Increase the speed to medium and knead until the dough is quite elastic but still a little sticky, 4 minutes.

Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turn to coat, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until nearly doubled in size, about 30 minutes. Fold the dough gently, cover, and let rest until relaxed, 15-20 minutes, before cutting it into 2 equal pieces and rounding into smooth balls. Cover the dough and let rest another 15-20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Prepare 2 baking sheets by scattering them with cornmeal.

To shape the pizza dough, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and, working with one piece at a time, press the dough into a disk of even thickness, stretching and turning the dough as you work or using a rolling pin. Continue until the dough is an evenly thick 12-inch round.

Transfer the dough rounds to the cornmeal-scattered baking sheets. Drizzle each pizza with 1 Tablespoon of the olive oil, then scatter with the remaining topping ingredients. Drizzle an additional 1 Tablespoon olive oil over each pizza and bake until golden brown around the edges, 10-12 minutes. Serve at once.

“This was a huge hit with former culinary students. The olive oil offers a fresh alternative to a tomato base and is a healthier option. The goat or feta cheese cuts down on the amount of fat compared to using traditional mozzarella cheese. Love the dusted cornmeal on the bottom of the dough!”