sweet potato and kale flatbread pizza

A couple nights ago when some of my kids were still home after Thanksgiving we went out to a local winery for some wine and music.  While we were there we had a flatbread pizza.  Now that the kids are gone I have been inspired to try a flatbread pizza at home.

The winery's flatbread came topped with roasted peppers and summer squash, mushrooms, sage, fresh mozzarella and a kale pesto base.  I decided to use what I had on hand so I went with sweet potatoes, kale and chopped pecans on a homemade ricotta base.

First I made the crust dough and while it was raising I made the homemade ricotta.  While the ricotta was in the chinois to strain I peeled and sliced a small sweet potato and tossed it with a drizzle of olive oil. When the ricotta was done straining I added a few thyme leaves.

To assemble the flatbread pizza I divided the dough in quarters and rolled one of the quarters into a rectangle approximately 6 inches by 8 inches and 1/4 inch thick.  I rolled it out on a sheet of parchment paper.

 I spread the ricotta cheese in a thin layer covering the crust.

Then I topped the ricotta with the oiled sweet potato slices and a little salt.

And put it in the oven on the parchment paper on the pizza stone and baked it for 7 minutes.  If you aren't using a pizza stone you can bake the pizza on the parchment on a baking sheet.  After seven minutes I rotated the flatbread and slipped the paper out from under the flatbread.  I used a spatula to lift a corner of the pizza, the pizza had released itself from the parchment and I was able to slip the parchment out leaving the pizza sitting directly on the pizza stone.  I then added the pecans and it baked for another 7 minutes.  While it was baking I massaged the kale with a little olive oil by removing the leaf from the stem and cutting into bite-sized pieces.  I put the pieces in a bowl with a drizzle of olive oil and stirred them around with my fingers rubbing the leaves together for about four minutes.  The massaging helps to reduce the bitterness of the kale.

At the end of the second seven minutes I sprinkled a little Parmesan cheese on and baked it for one more minute.

When the flatbread pizza came out of the oven I topped it with the massaged kale and a splash of balsamic vinegar.

I cut it into six pieces.

I was really pleased with how it turned out.  The crust was crispy.  The sweet potato was soft. The toasted pecans added a nice crunch and the balsamic adds a nice layer of flavor.

To make the crust:

3/4 cup lukewarm water
1 tsp active-dry or instant yeast
2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp salt

Combine the water and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer and stir to dissolve the yeast.  Add the flour and salt and mix with the dough hook for five minutes.  Knead the dough a couple times to form a nice ball and place in an oiled bowl.  Cover and let raise until double, about 90 minutes.  When double in size, punch down and divide into quarters and roll out each portion into a thin crust on parchment paper or refrigerate the dough up to three days.

To make the homemade ricotta:

2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 Tbsp white wine vinegar (I used champagne vinegar)

Combine the milk and cream is saucepan, stir in the salt.  Bring to a boil over medium heat.  When it reaches a full rolling boil, remove from heat and add the vinegar.  Allow to stand for a minute or two to form curds.  Pour through a strainer lined with cheesecloth to separate the curds from the whey.  I used a chinois.  Allow to strain for up to 30 minutes.  The longer it strains the drier the cheese will be.  Refrigerate until ready to use. Makes 3/4 cup of finished cheese.

To assemble a single flatbread pizza:

1/4 crust recipe
1/4 cup homemade ricotta
1/4 tsp fresh thyme
1 small sweet potato, sliced into thin (1/8 -1/4 inch thick) crosswise slices.
1 tsp olive oil
salt
1/8 cup pecans, chopped
1 Tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated
2-3 small kale leaves, stems removed and cut or torn into bite sized pieces
1 tsp olive oil
drizzle balsamic vinegar

Place pizza stone on rack 1/3 up from the bottom of oven and preheat oven to 450°.  Roll out the crust on a sheet of parchment paper to a 6x8 inch or so rectangle .  Mix the thyme with the ricotta.  Spread over the crust.  Place the sweet potatoes in a bowl with 1 tsp olive oil and toss to coat.  Place the oiled slices on the ricotta layer and salt lightly.  Place the parchment sheet with the pizza on the pizza stone using a peel or inverted baking sheet to transfer the pizza to the stone.  Bake 7 minutes.  After 7 minutes rotate the pizza and remove the parchment paper.  Add the pecans.  Bake another 7 minutes.  Massage the kale with the olive oil.  When the second 7 minutes of baking has finished, add a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and bake one more minute.  Remove from the oven and top with the massaged kale and a splash of balsamic vinegar.  Cut and serve. 

sources:
crust recipe adapted from here
ricotta cheese recipe here
toppings inspiration adapted from here

Update:

 So the next day I took another quarter of the crust dough from the refrigerator and let it warm to room temperature.  Once it was room temperature I rolled it out into an oval and topped it with some leftover spaghetti sauce that was canned from our garden tomatoes and more of the homemade ricotta cheese and a little Parmesan cheese.  I baked it as before--450° for 15 minutes, removing the parchment paper after the first 7 minutes and it turned out great.

shared at this party:

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