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A unique, bright green pizza dough adds extra nutrition from collards and ricotta
Serves 8
Boil 8 cups water in a large pot. Add half the bag of collards, and boil uncovered, stirring occasionally to ensure even cooking, for 10 minutes. (Save rest of collards for another use.) When done, drain in colander and allow greens to cool. When cool, squeeze to remove excess water.
Meanwhile, dissolve brown sugar in warm water and then stir in yeast. Set mixture aside for 5-7 minutes. Yeast will feed on sugar and will “bloom.” (If yeast doesn’t bloom and froth a bit, throw it out and start with fresher yeast)
While yeast is blooming, put the ricotta cheese, egg and oil in a 4-cup glass measuring cup. Insert an immersion blender and whirl mixture to blend completely. (Or whirl mixture in a counter-top blender.) Add cooled greens and blend again; mixture will turn a beautiful medium green color.
Place flour and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add ricotta-greens mixture and yeast mixture, and knead on low speed until the dough is evenly mixed and elastic, about 8-10 minutes.
Lightly mist the inside of a zipper-top gallon plastic bag with nonstick spray, and place dough in bag. Place bag in refrigerator and let rest overnight.
When ready to use the dough the next day, take bag out of refrigerator and bring dough to room temperature.
To Make Pizza
Heat oven to 425 degrees.
Divide dough into 8 pieces and roll each piece out on a floured board to about a 7-inch round. Place dough rounds on ungreased baking sheet and top with your favorite pizza sauce and toppings. Four small pizzas should fit on each sheet.
Bake pizzas for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, cut into wedges and serve a whole pizza to each person.
Makes 8 individual pizzas.
Be sure to start this dough the day before you would like to make your pizza, for best flavor. The overnight rise in the refrigerator allows the flavor to develop.