Quattro Formaggio Pizza with Caramelized Shallots and White Truffle Oil

M.C. Escher, 1898-1972
Symmetry Watercolor 70 (Butterfly), 1948
Ink and Watercolor, 11 x 11 inches
Baarn, The Netherlands
Dutch Mathematically Inspired Graphic Artist

At long last! After toying with pizza crust recipes on and off for more time than I’d like to admit, I’ve finally struck upon a pizza dough that not only has a good crisp crust, you can actually fold the slices of pie in half and eat it like a taco. So why did it take so long?

Rather than just whipping something up that simply tasted good, I chose the path less travelled and set my sights on a horizon that was not only delicious, but nutritious as well. In this recipe, buckwheat, millet, and gluten free oat flour are the stars and boy do they shine! Not only do they lend fantastic flavor, they are loaded with fiber, complete proteins, niacin and a bevy of naturally occuring vitamins, so you can feel doubly good about having your pie and eating it, too–rather than it– eating you.

If you go to the supermarket and look at all the gluten free ready made pizza doughs, you will see that the main ingredient is always tapioca flour. Don’t get me wrong, tapioca flour is a cornerstone of gluten free baking and I use it all the time because it helps create a fabulous, smooth texture without overpowering the other flavors of the recipe. But I always try to use it sparingly because it is very caloric and low in dietary fiber. Therefore, making it the main ingredient in this case was not in keeping with my intention to impart flavor and nutrition, so I reduced it’s presence significantly in this recipe.

By this same token, I also wanted to create a recipe that was different in every possible way from what is readily available, so I let the recipe evolve in its’ own time and thank goodness I did, because in cooking, especially in baking, nothing can be forced, “if you try to force it, you are lost.”

Too true, Mr. Bresson.* A forced moment is just that: inauthentic, contrived and usually leaves you with a whole lotta nada lest a bad taste in your mouth. My chocolate chip cookies took me 87 trials and my pizza crust has taken me “through night and day, and in and out of weeks, and almost over a year, to where the wild things are.”

So after patiently waiting for so long to see the real thing grow, when the flood gates were finally flung open, I did what I am known for. I didn’t hold back one iota. I went full moon fever.

Decadent, full bodied flavors resound in this pizza. Filled with four cheeses and topped with caramelized shallots, a bouquet of sauteed mushrooms and drizzled with white truffle oil, this pizza will make your head roll, your heart flip and send your taste buds straight to the moon.

For the Crust:

1 teaspoon gluten free active dry yeast, proofed
1/2 cup organic millet
1/2 cup gluten free oat flour
1/2 cup organic buckwheat flour
1/2 cup glutinous rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1/2 cup natural cornstarch
1/4 cup arrowroot flour
4 teaspoons guar gum
2 teaspoons pectin, like Pamanoa’s
1/2 teaspoon monocalcium phosphate
1 1/4 cups + 2 tabelspoons barely warm water
1/4 cup organic safflower oil
4 organic egg whites
1/2 cup micro grated parmesan cheese
2 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt

2 rounds freshly pulled mozzarella
2 cups freshly grated asiago cheese
1/4 cup Greek style feta, crumbled
2 cups mirco grated parmesan cheese

White truffle oil for drizzling

Makes 2 -14 inch pizzas. Divide the amount of cheese in half if you are only making one pizza at a time. The same goes for the mushrooms and shallots.

Special Equipment: Pizza Stone

To proof your yeast: In a small glass bowl, combine 1 teaspoon active dry yeast to 2 tablespoons barely warm water (~94 degrees F) with 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar. Whisk to cover all yeast granules with liquid. Allow to sit for 20 minutes and more than doubled in volume.

Add all the flours and the guar gum to your stand mixer bowl. Whisk to smooth. Set aside.

In a glass measuring cup, dissolve the 1/2 teaspoon of monocalcium phosphate in the 1 1/4 cups + 2 tablespoons of water. Whisk to ensure the calcium is fully dissolved. Set aside.

Once the yeast has proofed, add to the flour mixture and mix on the lowest setting with the dough hook attachment. Add the water + calcium mixture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, covering the liquid with the flours. Mix on medium for about a minute. Add the egg whites, the grated parmesan and the kosher salt. Scrape down the sids of the bowl as necessary and then mix on high for 7 minutes.

Using a pastry scrapper, transfer the dough to a counter that has been generously floured with one part glutinous rice, one part tapioca flour. The dough should be very soft and very sticky-perfect. Knead the dough pulling from the back to the front until the dough is very smooth. You may need to re-dust the counter as you go, which is to be expected. Knead about 8-10 times, more if needed. Shape the dough into a ball. Spray a glass bowl with non-stick spray and transfer the dough to the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise in the warmest part of your kitchen for 3 hours.

Joan Miro, 1893-1983
Dawn Perfumed by a Shower of Gold, 1954
Watercolor on Plaster on Composition Board,
107.95 x 54.29 cm
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
Catalan Surrealist Painter

For the Sauce:

1 14.5 ounce can organic diced tomatoes
2 1/2 tablespoons organic tomato paste
1 3/4 teaspoons organic dried oregano
3 organic garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon organic balsamic vinegar
kosher salt and fresh black pepper to taste

In a food processor, pulse all the ingredients until smooth. Season to taste. Transfer to a glass bowl until ready to use.

For the Shallots and Mushrooms:

1/2 cup packed organic shallots, sliced
1 1/2 tablespoon organic unsalted butter
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup organic vegetable stock

1 tablespoon organic unsalted butter
7 organic shittaki mushrooms, sliced
6 baby bella mushrooms, sliced

5 white button mushrooms, sliced
kosher salt and cracked black pepper to taste

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. When the butter foams, add the shallots and toss to evenly coat all the shallots evenly. Add the salt and brown sugar. Stir until the sugar has melted, about 2 minutes. Pour in the vegetable stock, stir to smooth. Cook down over medium heat for 15-20 minutes or until all the liquid has evaporated and the shallots are glazed. Transfer to a plate.

Add the additional butter to the pan, when melted and foaming, add the mushrooms. Stirring and shaking the pan, cook the mushroom just until they wilt. Remove from the heat and season to taste. Transfer to another plate.

When the dough is ready, dust your counter with equal parts glutinous rice and tapioca flour. Knead the dough till smooth. Divide the dough in half. Set one half into a glass bowl and cover with your reserved plastic wrap. Flatten one disk to 7 inches in diameter.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.

Generously dust your pizza stone with glutinous rice flour. Transfer your disk to the stone and using the heel of your hand, flatten the crust to your desired thickness, but no larger than 14 inches in diameter. Perforate the bottom of the crust with several dozen holes.

Pre bake your crust for 5 minutes. Remove and coat the bottom of the crust with a thin layer of the sauce. Add the sliced mozzarella from 1 round and 1 cup of the asiago. Sprinkle half of the shallots over the cheese, followed by half of the mushrooms. Crumble 2 tablespoons of the feta randomly around the edges of the pizza. Brush the edge of the crust with an egg wash and then finish the pizza off with 1 cup of the parmesan, being sure to coat the crust.

Bake the pizza for 10-14 minutes more and the cheese is melted and bubbling. 1 minute before you pull the pizza out, dash a few ribbons of chiffonade basil over the top.

If you are using a standard pizza pan, you will need to cook the pizza for longer for a crunchier finish, about 5 minutes.

Remove and transfer the pizza to a cutting board to slice. Drizzle with good white truffle oil. Cool for several minutes before slicing.

Repeat with the second round or freeze the dough for up to one month in an airtight container. If freezing, place the dough in the fridge the day before you plan to use it.

Of course, this pizza crust is just as good decorated any way you choose, but by all means, please enjoy!

Serves 4-6

*If you try to force it, you are lost.” Henri Cartier Bresson, from the documentary about his work, The Impassioned Eye.