On New Year’s Eve, my family multiplies this dough recipe and serves pizzas fresh out of the oven all night long. Because the crusts are thin and delicate, it is easy to eat a pie or two (or three!) all by yourself. Really good pizza dough is a canvas on which to drop your favorite ingredients and express your culinary creativity. It is also a good place to scatter fresh fruits from the season, figs being among my favorite because their sugars caramelize into an earthy, honey flavor. I also like to offer up some pizzas with fresh greens on top; arugula tossed in a bit of lemon juice, salt, and pepper is one of my favorite things to add to a pie when it is fresh out of the oven. It gives one the illusion of a well-balanced meal when you are leaning in for the third pizza. Try this fresh fig, fontina and thyme pizza recipe wit its amazing crust and you will never be the same.
Fresh Fig, Fontina and Thyme Pizza:
You can make this dough in advance, divide it into portions, and freeze it to have on hand for another day. If you don’t have fresh figs available, try soaking dried ones in water to reconstitute them, or fresh peaches and nectarines would also work well. You will notice the preheat time for the oven is an hour. This is to create even, radiant heat for a very crispy crust, but if you manage slightly less time it will still be delicious.
Tip: If you only need one pizza, make the full dough recipe, divide it in half, and put one part in the freezer wrapped in plastic. Use half of the topping ingredients listed above for one pizza and defrost the second dough on a rainy day when you are in the mood for some more pizza. The frozen dough will keep for 3 months.
Also try my recipe for Lemony Fig Jam! What’s your favorite kind of pizza? Share your culinary adventures with me on Instagram.
“Fresh Fig, Fontina and Thyme Pizza”
Ingredients
- For the pizza dough:
- 1½ teaspoons dry active yeast
- 1 pinch sugar
- 3 cups all-purpose flour plus additional for the work surface
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- Wondra flour optional
- For the topping:
- 2 cups grated fontina cheese
- 16 fresh or dried reconstituted figs, sliced crosswise into ¼-inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
- Extra virgin olive oil for greasing the pan and drizzling onto the pizza
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 500°F for one hour.
- In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in a pinch of sugar and ¼ cup of warm water. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, and olive oil. Stir in the yeast mixture, then 1 cup of water. Work the dough into a firm ball. Cover with a moist towel and let rise until double, about 1 hour, depending on the climate.
- Divide the dough in half and roll it out onto a floured work surface. If you have Wondra flour, that is best for rolling. Grease 2 baking sheets or pizza stones with olive oil and lay the dough into each.
- Distribute the fontina, figs, thyme, honey, vinegar, and salt evenly on each pizza. Drizzle with olive oil and brush it over the outer crust so that it browns nicely.
- Bake the pizza in the oven for 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 400°F for about 10 minutes more. Serve hot.
