Clam Pizza Recipe

HOMEMADE PIZZA DOUGH (MAKES ABOUT 20 OUNCES OF PIZZA DOUGH. OR USE STORE-BOUGHT DOUGH; NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT.)

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (about 11.25 oz., or 319 grams)
• 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
• 3/4 teaspoons active dry yeast, or 3 grams fresh yeast (about a dime-size ball)
• 8 ounces lukewarm water (about 227 grams)
• Olive oil

1. Place flour in large bowl. Stir in salt.
2. Dissolve yeast into water. Pour into flour and stir with a fork until it comes together. Dough will be sticky.
3. Drizzle some olive oil over the dough and along the sides of the bowl. I use an oiled bowl scraper to help knead the dough, scraping, pressing and folding the dough for a minute or so.
4. At this point, lift the dough up with your hands, (you may need a touch more oil on your fingertips to lessen the stickiness), and hold along one edge, letting the rest of the dough hang down and stretch out. Move along the entire edge of the dough, turning it in more or less a circular pattern. The kneading and stretching step should take you about 5 minutes.
5. Gather dough into a ball and place back in the oiled bowl. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap, lay a dish towel over it and place in a warm spot. I always stick my bowl of pizza dough in the microwave, a warm and out-of-the-way place. Sometimes, before putting it in, I heat a mug-full of water, to get the microwave nice and warm.
6. Let rise for 1 hour. Punch dough down, and let rise for another hour.

FOR WHITE CLAM PIZZA

• 24 littleneck clams, scrubbed, shucked, juices strained and reserved for another use
• 1 wedge Pecorino-Romano cheese
• 1 handful of fresh oregano, to taste
• 4 fat garlic cloves, sliced
• Good quality extra virgin olive oil

1. Place a pizza stone on bottom-most rack in oven. Preheat oven to 550°F at least a half hour before you will bake the pizza.
2. Cut dough from above pizza dough recipe into two equal pieces, about 10 ounces each, weighing it with a kitchen scale if you have one. Place the second piece of dough in a freezer bag and freeze, or make a second pizza of your choosing (e.g. dollops of ricotta cheese, a sprinkling of shredded mozzarella, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil on top). Yum!
3. Line a quarter-sheet pan, small cookie sheet or a 12" pizza pan with parchment paper and lightly oil the parchment paper.
4. Place dough on parchment, press down and spread the dough evenly in all directions with your oiled fingers until you have a nice thin layer. It probably won't cover the entire pan; that’s okay. If dough is not cooperating, it helps to let the dough rest for a few minutes.
5. Scatter the clams over the dough, followed by a drizzle of olive oil, a very generous grating of Pecorino (a good half-cupful, using a microplane grater if you've got one), the oregano and the garlic. And that's it!
6. Place pan directly on pizza stone. Or, if you've got a pizza peel, pull the parchment and pizza onto the peel, then slide parchment and pizza directly onto pizza stone. Bake for 5 minutes, or until crust is nicely browned and crisp, and bottom of pizza has some nicely browned spots as well. Use a long-handled metal spatula, or the pizza peel, to lift up the pizza and take a peek underneath. 5 minutes should be plenty; don't turn your clams into rubber, please! The parchment will turn black, but it won't catch fire, so don't worry.
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7. Remove from oven using the pizza peel if you have one. Cut your pizza into pieces and enjoy!

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