Savory Sunday: Spinach, Prosciutto, Pear Pizza on Honey Whole Wheat Crust

I just love the bright, fresh flavors in this pizza. A hearty, whole wheat crust, topped with creamy goat cheese, is the perfect platform for spinach, lightly dressed with lemon, fresh thyme, olive oil, and black pepper, succulent, sweet pears, and salty prosciutto. The crust takes just over an hour to make, and it's pretty flavorful for a crust that comes together so quickly. It's a fairly bready, substantial crust, that turns this pizza into a meal, without it being a heavy, cheesy pizza affair.

Spinach, Prosciutto, Pear Pizza on Honey Whole Wheat Crust

Yield: serves 6 (1 large slice per serving)

Ingredients

Dough

• 1 cup warm water (110F)
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
• 9 ounces (2 cups) all-purpose flour
• 2 1/3 ounces (1/2 cup) whole wheat flour
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Toppings

• 6 ounces (1 1/2 cups) crumbled goat cheese
• 4 cups baby spinach
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh-squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 ounces prosciutto, chopped
• 2 red pears, cored and sliced
• Cornmeal

Prepare Dough

1. Combine warm water, honey, olive oil, and instant yeast in a small bowl. Let stand for 5-10 minutes.
2. Place flours and salt in a food processor, and pulse to combine.
3. Add yeast mixture to flour, and pulse to combine.
4. Turn out dough onto a well-floured surface. Knead a 3-4 times to smooth dough (it will be quite sticky).
5. Coat a large bowl with nonstick spray, and place dough in bowl, turning to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, and place in a warm spot to rise for about an hour (or until doubled in size). To determine if dough is ready, gently press two fingers into the dough. If indentations remain, dough is ready to use. Halfway into the rising time, place your pizza stone in the oven, and preheat to 500F.

Assemble, Bake, Serve

1. In a large bowl, toss spinach, thyme, lemon juice, 1 tablespoon olive oil, black pepper, prosciutto, and sliced pears. Set aside.
2. On a floured surface, stretch and shape pizza dough to a 14-inch circle. I like to assemble my pizza on a peel lined with parchment paper, which makes transfer to the oven very easy.
3. Brush dough with remaining tablespoon olive oil. Sprinkle cheese evenly over dough.
4. Carefully load pizza into your preheated oven, parchment and all. Bake for approximately 10-12 minutes, until crust is crisp and golden brown.
5. Remove pizza from oven, and arrange prepared spinach salad over the crust.
6. Cut pizza into 6 slices, and serve!

Source: Adapted from Cooking Light, November 2012

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