Recipes from Episode 2: "Pizza's Evolution: From Nasty Cake to America’s Favorite Food"

Persian Flatbread with Goat Cheese & Dried Apricots

• 1 ½ cups warm water
• 2 tsp active dry yeast (or 1 packet)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 cups 00 flour* (may substitute all-purpose flour, but may require a bit more warm water to get the desired consistency)
• 1 tablespoon salt
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme, rosemary, and oregano or other favorite herbs
• ½ cup dried apricots
• 8 oz herbed goat cheese

To make the dough, dissolve the yeast in ½ cup of warm (not hot) water. Stir well. If bubbles begin to form, great! The yeast is alive and growing well. If after a few minutes of waiting, no bubbles form at the top, add a teaspoon of sugar to awaken the yeast. FYI – if you don’t use all your dried yeast, yeast is best stored in the freezer once opened. This will help keep it fresh.  

In a large bowl, mix flour, salt, pepper, and herbs together.

Once mixed, slowly pour in the oil, yeasty water, and the remaining water. Mix by hand. This should form into a soft, pliant dough. If the dough is too sticky, add more flour in small increments, about 1 tablespoon at a time. If the dough is too dry, add more warm water, 1 tablespoon at a time.

1. Once the dough begins to come together, turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead the dough until it forms a smooth ball.
2. Coat the bowl the dough was initially mixed in with about a tablespoon of olive oil and place the dough ball inside. Give it a few turns to coat the dough in the oil.
3. Cover and let the dough rise until it doubles in size. You may do this by keeping it in a warm room for a minimum of 2 hours. OR, if you have the time, it’s best to cover the dough with cling wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 16 hours. This will give the dough plenty of time to rise and be airy. 
4. Once the dough rises, prepare a large baking sheet by generously coating it with olive oil.
5. Once the dough has risen, turn it out onto the prepared baking sheet and flatten it out into a large rectangle. If time permits, allow to rest an additional 1 hour in this shape before putting in the oven. 

• Preheat the oven to 475 F. 

1. Dent with your fingers gently the top of the dough. Brush gently with a bit more olive oil 
2. Bake on the lower rack of oven until golden brown, about 12-15 minutes. 

Once fully cooked, roughly break apart and add goat cheese while still warm, so that it melts gently across the surface. Top with chopped dried apricots.

What’s great about this simple flatbread focaccia: you can serve it savory or sweet. I prefer mine with a bit of warmed up olive oil, garlic, salt and dried rosemary. How about you?

Pizza Dough Recipe
Yield: 4-5 baseball sized dough balls
Prep: 20 mins
Proof: 18-22 hours

Ingredients

• 4 cups 00 flour (350g) - this is a finely ground Italian flour that I reach for when making homemade pizza dough and pasta. Found online and in specialty shops.
• 1/4 cup semolina flour (35g) - for the outer coat of the dough, before popping in the oven
• 2 tsp active dry yeast (or 1 sachet)
• 2 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 cups water (500g)
• 1 full Tbsp of honey
• 1 Tbsp olive oil (for coating resting dough)

Directions

1. Mix 00 flour, yeast, salt, and honey in a large mixing bowl
2. Stir in 1 cup of water, until absorbed, adding slowly more until all the 00 flour has been shaped
3. Knead for approx 10 mins by hand or with electric blender on low; dough will be sticky
4. Place the pliant dough in a large container - so that it has enough space to double in size 
5. Coat the surface of dough with olive oil and gently pat across the dough surface
6. Seal the container and leave at room temp for 1-2 hours. I love placing it by a warm, sunny window ledge
7. By now, the dough should have expanded nicely. If it hasn’t, leave for another hour - this will allow the yeast to work its magic. 
8. Move the container to the refrigerator for at least 18 hours (but not more than 24 hours)
   Remove container and divide cold dough into 4-5 equal baseball-sized portions
9. Add more olive oil to the surface of each dough ball and Place dough balls in a proofing tray allow to rest for additional 2-3 hours at room temp before use
10. When you’re about to use, preheat your oven to 450 F.
11. Across a clean surface, spread a thick layer of semolina flour and stretch out your dough - making sure the outer coating of your pizza dough is covered with semolina. 
12. Add your favorite pizza toppings, and bake for 8-12 minutes

Buon appetito!