Homemade pizza with tomato sauce, mozzarella, and prosciutto, topped after baking with a pile of arugula microgreens. How to bake it on a stone or sheet in a home oven.
INGREDIENTS
- 300 g - all-purpose or bread flour
- 190 ml - warm water
- 3 g - active dry yeast
- 1 tsp - salt
- 1 tbsp - olive oil for the dough
- 200 g - canned whole tomatoes
- 1/2 tsp - dried oregano
- 200 g - fresh mozzarella
- 60 g - prosciutto
- 20 g - Parmesan
- 1 tbsp - olive oil for serving
- 40 g - arugula microgreens
STEPS
- Dissolve the yeast in the warm water, add the flour, salt, and oil, and knead for 8-10 minutes into a smooth, elastic dough. Cover and leave in a warm spot for 2 hours, until doubled.
- 40 minutes before baking, put a pizza stone or an upside-down baking sheet in the upper third of the oven and heat the oven as high as it goes, 475-525°F (250-275°C).
- Crush the tomatoes with a fork and a pinch of salt and oregano. Tear the mozzarella into pieces and pat dry on paper towels.
- Divide the dough in half. Stretch each half by hand into an 11-12 in (28-30 cm) round with a thin center and a thicker rim, and set it on floured parchment.
- Spread half the sauce, leaving a 3/4 in (2 cm) border, and scatter half the mozzarella. Slide the pizza on its parchment onto the stone and bake for 8-10 minutes, until the rim is golden and the cheese blisters.
- Let the pizza rest for 1 minute. Drape the prosciutto on top, drizzle with oil, add shaved Parmesan, and pile 20 g arugula microgreens in the center. Bake the second pizza the same way.
Arugula Microgreens on Pizza
Prosciutto and arugula pizza is a pizzeria classic, and the greens go on after the pizza comes out of the oven. Arugula microgreens do this job better than mature leaves: they’re tender and juicy, with a nutty, mustardy flavor and none of the harsh bitterness. That peppery bite balances the salty prosciutto and creamy mozzarella.
Let the pizza rest for a minute after baking. On molten cheese the microgreens wilt in seconds, and that short pause gets them to the table fresh and crisp.
About the Ingredients
Arugula microgreens: 40 g for two pizzas. No arugula? Mustard or radish microgreens work too, with more heat.
Flour: regular all-purpose or bread flour is fine. If you have Italian 00 flour, use it.
Tomatoes: canned whole tomatoes, crushed with salt. The sauce isn’t cooked on the stove, it finishes in the oven.
Mozzarella: tear fresh mozzarella and pat it dry on paper towels, or it will leak water onto the dough.
Prosciutto goes on after baking. In the oven the thin slices dry out and taste saltier.
Technique: The Hottest Oven You Can Get
A pizzeria oven runs at 750°F (400°C) and up, a home oven tops out at 475-525°F (250-275°C). To get closer, preheat a pizza stone or an upside-down baking sheet in the upper third of the oven for at least 40 minutes. The hot stone sets the bottom crust right away and the pizza bakes in 8-10 minutes: the rim puffs, the cheese blisters, and the center doesn’t have time to go soggy.
Variations
- Meatless: thin pear slices and 50 g gorgonzola instead of prosciutto, added before baking.
- With burrata: tear burrata over the baked pizza along with the microgreens.
- White pizza: 3 tbsp ricotta with pressed garlic instead of tomato sauce.
- With lemon: toss the microgreens with lemon juice and olive oil before piling them on.
Serving and Storage
Serve right away. Leftover pizza without the greens keeps in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat it in a dry covered skillet for 5-6 minutes so the bottom crisps up again, then add fresh microgreens. How long an open container of microgreens lasts is in our wiki: microgreen shelf life.
Another Italian dish with microgreens: basil microgreen pesto pasta.
CHEF'S TIPS
If the dough tears as you stretch it, cover it with a towel for another 10 minutes so the gluten relaxes.
Stick to 3-4 tbsp sauce per pizza: under a thick layer the center stays raw.
Don't salt the microgreens ahead of time: salt draws out moisture and the leaves collapse.
NUTRITION
| Serving | Calories |
|---|---|
| 1 whole pizza, for one | about 1100 kcal |
| 1/2 pizza, if you share | about 550 kcal |
