METHOD

Donatella’s Homemade Pizza Dough

1. Sprinkle the yeast over the water, combining yeast and water in a large bowl, and let stand until the yeast is creamy, about 1 minute. Stir until the yeast dissolves. In a large bowl, add sea salt, then the yeast mixture and flour. Stir until a soft dough forms.
    
2. Transfer the dough ball to a lightly-floured surface and knead, adding more flour if necessary, until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.
    
3. Lightly coat another large bowl with oil. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to oil the top. Cover with plastic wrap and store someplace warm; let rise until it doubles in size, about 6 hours.
    
4. Cut the dough into 9-ounce pieces and shape the pieces into balls. Place the balls on a nonstick surface or parchment paper, and then cover with plastic wrap, allowing room for the dough to expand. Let the dough rise until doubled, 8–12 hours.
    
5. Rest dough in refrigerator for 2 – 4 hours. Your homemade dough is now ready to be baked. Select 1 dough ball per personal pie. (Remaining dough balls can be made into more personal pies or frozen for later, if desired.)

Pizza and Toppings

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Par-bake crust and remove.
    
2. While crust bakes, season chicken breast with salt and pepper and pan sear. Cut into pieces and set aside.
    
3. Spread béchamel sauce evenly on pizza crust, leaving a one-inch border.
    
4. Cover pizza crust evenly with Galbani Premio Mozzarella and Bel Paese Cheese.
    
5. Top crust with mushrooms and pan-seared chicken pieces.
    
6. Place pizza back in oven and remove when cheese is fully melted.
    
7. Garnish pizza with fresh thyme, fried sage leaves, salt, and pepper.
   Options: Add red chili pepper flakes for added spice, or chopped roasted chestnuts for the holidays.