Mushroom Pizza
from https://www.savingdessert.com/

Mushroom Pizza

If you've never tried white mushroom pizza then you're in for a treat. White pizza has tons of flavor and with the addition of sautéed garlic mushrooms, every cheesy bite is a mushroom lovers dream! White Mushroom Pizza is one of the cheesiest, most delicious pizzas ever, even without traditional red sauce. And this pizza is especially perfect for mushroom lovers.

For a plain White Pizza simply skip the mushrooms. However, I still recommend sautéing the garlic and red pepper flakes before stirring into the ricotta for easier distribution. You can also add a little fresh minced basil, oregano, thyme or rosemary to the ricotta as desired. Any of your favorite fresh herbs will work well in this recipe.

However, if you want to change it up try adding any of the following:

FMM: I found this very cheese heavy (I think this is what the author was aiming for), plus my crust came out very thick because I parbaked it - skip this next time. (I just read you could dock your crust before parbaking.) I wouldn't add the fontina cheese next time (I used gouda); just the ricotta (although the fontina did provide a nice base if you want a lot of cheese). The ricotta worked well as a base for the toppings - I just put some glops on and spread them around so it was barely there in some areas and a little thicker in others. I could have used less and it could have been seasoned. The pizza was not all that flavorful unless you are looking for just a cheesey flavor, and I did add oregano and some red pepper flakes. Without the fontina a little more Parmesan cheese could be used, and I would add parsley and oregano on top of the ricotta layer, maybe some more garlic and red pepper flakes. The arugula helped and I also put some fresh parsley on when eating it. I like mushroom and sausage pizza. I think some Italian sausage would be good, cook it first and add it with the mushrooms.

2 tablespoons olive oil plus extra for greasing the pan
12 ounces mushrooms sliced 1/4-inch thick
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional) - definitely add for more flavor
4 cloves garlic minced
1 pound pizza dough room temperature (homemade or store-bought)
6 ounces whole milk ricotta cheese (about 3/4 cup)
4 ounces fontina cheese shredded (1 cup)
1 ounce Parmesan cheese grated (1/2 cup)
4 ounces mozzarella cheese shredded (1 cup)
fresh cracked black pepper
minced chives for garnish (optional)
baby arugula greens for serving (optional)

Move the oven rack to the lowest position and preheat the oven to 475°F. Lightly grease a pizza stone or rimmed baking sheet with olive oil.

Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the mushrooms and salt. Stir to coat then leave the mushrooms to cook until deep golden brown on one side. Stir and continue cooking until the moisture is released and then evaporates. Add the red pepper flakes and minced garlic. Sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute more. Remove the skillet from the heat and set aside.

On a lightly floured work surface press, stretch or roll the pizza dough into a round or rectangle approximately the same size as your pizza stone or baking pan. Transfer the dough to the prepared pan.

Dollop spoonfuls of the ricotta evenly over the top of the dough leaving a one-inch border. Gently spread the ricotta using the back of a spoon. Sprinkle fontina cheese over the ricotta then add the cooked mushrooms. Finally, sprinkle with mozzarella, then Parmesan.

Bake until the cheese is brown in spots and the crust is golden brown, about 15 minutes [if you parbake, this time will be shorter]. Cool on a rack for 5 minutes then slice and serve. Top with fresh grated black pepper, minced chives and baby arugula as desired.

2 12-inch pizzas