Sisters are doing it for themselves

Since I’m over my fear of yeasted dough, I decided it was time to make the potato rosemary pizza I had bookmarked on Bread Basket Case. I had been bugging the Engineer to make it, but we never found the time. (That recipe caught my eye because when we were in Rome on our honeymoon, the first pizza I had was a potato pizza, so I have fond memories of it.) Now that I know I can successfully make things with yeasted dough, I figured I could make it myself. And I’m so glad I did. The potatoes were deliciously salty, crispy on the outside and soft and yielding on the inside, served with rosemary on top of a thin, crispy crust.

This is a recipe with a wet dough, the kind that is basically poured out onto a work surface – if you’re picturing an Italian chef twirling dough over his head, this is not the one for you. I started in the morning, for an early evening pizza. I halved the recipe to make only one pizza, which serves two. You could easily double it, but you might want to cook one pizza at a time, depending on the size of your pizza stone. I also adapted it slightly based on comments in the original posts as well as my experience. Next time, I’ll use fewer potatoes (the recipe below is the amount I would use), and I might add garlic, too. It was absolutely delicious!

7 Tbsp unbleached bread flour
7 Tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp instant yeast
½ cup + 2 Tbsp lukewarm water
¼ tsp granulated sugar
¼ tsp salt
extra-virgin olive oil
1 lb Yukon Gold potatoes
½ onion, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp fresh rosemary

Mix the flours and yeast in a mixing bowl. Using the paddle attachment, add water on low speed until the batter comes together. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 20-25 minutes until it cleans the bowl and comes together. (If it hasn't started to come together in 20 minutes, add a few pinches more flour). The dough should still be quite wet. Add sugar and salt and mix for another 2-3 minutes.



Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rise about 4 hours.

Coat a big square of parchment paper with olive oil. Pour the dough directly onto the parchment. With hands coated with olive oil, press the dough into a thin layer. Let it rest for 10-15 minutes, and then finish pressing it into the whole pan. It will be quite thin. Cover and let rise for another hour.





Meanwhile, peel and thinly slice the potatoes. Toss them with salt and let them exude moisture for about 15 minutes. Squeeze them dry in a colander to release more of their liquid. Toss them with the onion and the rosemary.

About 30 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 425 °F and put in the pizza stone.



After the dough is proofed, spread on the potato topping. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with more salt, if desired (I skipped this). Carefully slip the parchment paper with the pizza directly on the baking stone. Bake until the potatoes are brown at the edges and easily pierced with the tip of a knife, about 40 minutes. Slip the pizza, parchment paper and all, onto a cutting board and let cool a bit before slicing and serving.