Mushroom ‘Deep Dish’ Pizza
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Category
Vegetarian
Author:
Rob Howell
Servings
6
This January, we've joined forces with Rob Howell, head chef at veg-centric restaurant 'Root' in Bristol, to create a series of seasonal vegetable recipes for the winter months. Here Rob celebrates the humble mushroom.
The
dough is great for a number of things including cooking on a grill, BBQ, or hot
pan as a flatbread but here we have used them to create a pizza like dish that
is great for not only the mushroom topping but many vegetables, at the
restaurant we have done leek pizza, cheese, and onion and even squash and
chestnut. Be creative and make your own ‘deep dish’ style pizza. If you have
left over mushrooms mix, it’s great mixed into pasta or just on toast. This
dish is easily made vegan just by not finishing with cheese, it can be finished
with freshly chopped chives instead.
Ingredients
-
450g Strong White Bread Flour
-
50g Semolina
-
15g Fresh Yeast
-
280ml Lukewarm Water
-
100ml Rapeseed Oil, plus 1 tablespoon for finishing
-
12g Salt
-
2 tbsp Cooking Oil
-
100ml White Wine
-
500g Chestnut Mushrooms
-
3 White Onions peeled and sliced
-
1 bulb Garlic peeled and minced
-
1 tbsp chopped Thyme
-
Tsp onion/garlic powder (optional)
-
Tsp porcini powder (optional)
-
Truffle oil (optional)
-
100g Mature Cheddar Cheese
-
2 tbsp Rapeseed or Olive Oil
For the Dough
For the Mushroom Mix
To finish
Directions
You can make the mushroom mix in advance and keep in the fridge until needed if you wish or make alongside the dough. Start by making sure your mushrooms are clean, give them a little wash if needed. Start by slicing all the mushrooms thinly, place 1/4 of the mushrooms in a medium saucepan on the heat with a tbsp of cooking oil and place a third of the slice mushrooms into the pan. Season with salt and pepper and a little onion/garlic/cep powder if you have them.
Turn the heat up to a high heat and get a bit of colour on the mushrooms before deglazing the pan with the white wine and reducing by half. Add 150ml of water and cook until soft. The water will reduce, and you will be left with soft mushrooms, place the contents of a pan in a blender and blend on a high speed until smooth, add a little extra water if needed to create a thick smooth mushroom puree, check the seasoning, and add more if needed. Keep to the side until needed.
In a large saucepan, place on a medium heat add a tbsp of cooking oil, place the sliced shallots in and cook for 2 minutes to soften. Add the minced garlic and chopped thyme to the shallots and cook for a further 2-3 minutes. Add the other 3 quarters of the sliced mushrooms to the pan and turn to a high heat. Add a good amount of salt and pepper to the mushrooms and stir well getting a nice colour on the mushrooms, cooking for about 5 minutes until soft but still with a little bite. Now add the puree to the pan and stir through the slice mushrooms, add truffle oil at this point if you wish. Turn to a low heat and cook for a further 5 minutes, take off the heat and place into a container if not using straight away. Will last in the fridge for 3-5 days.
Put the flour in the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Add the semolina, onion powder (if using) and fresh yeast. Turn on the mixer using a low speed.
Combine the water and rapeseed oil in a jug. With the mixer running, pour the wet ingredients into the dry, then add the salt. Increase the speed to medium and mix for 10–15 minutes, until the dough is smooth and coming away from the sides of the bowl.
Turn out the dough onto a clean work surface and work it into a large, smooth ball. Then, transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a cloth and leave at room temperature to rise for about 45 minutes, or until the dough has doubled in size (the exact time this takes will depend on the ambient temperature in the room).
Pre-heat oven to 225 degrees.
Divide the dough into 6 evenly sized balls (each should weigh about 140g). Shape into balls, then transfer to a lightly oiled or semolina dusted baking tray, cover with a lid or clingfilm to prevent a skin forming, then leave to prove for 30 minutes, until it is over double in size.
Press each flat bread into a mini-pizza shape leaving a nice rim like pictured and place the dough on a semolina covered baking tray.
Place a good couple of large tablespoons of the mushroom mix in the centre of the dough and spread out a little. Finish with a little rapeseed oil or olive oil and bake in the oven for 12-18 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and finish by grating cheese over the top.
