Pizza with pumpkin, stracchino cheese, and Rizzoline from the Sicilian Channel by Rizzoli

1. Prepare the dough

Pour the Manitoba flour and dry yeast into a bowl. Gradually add the water, stirring with a fork.

When the dough begins to come together, add the salt and extra virgin olive oil. Knead until you have a soft, elastic, and non-sticky dough.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place for about 2 hours, or until it has doubled in volume.

2. Prepare the pumpkin cream

Wash the pumpkin, cut it into slices, and arrange them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake in a preheated oven at 200°C for about 20 minutes. Once cooked, let it cool, remove the skin and seeds, and blend the flesh with an immersion blender until you have a smooth purée. Set aside.

3. Bake the pizza

When the dough has doubled in size, transfer it to a lightly floured surface.

Gently stretch the dough with your hands, being careful not to flatten the edges completely, and transfer it to a lightly greased baking sheet.

Drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil over the top.

Preheat the oven to the highest temperature and let the baking sheet or baking stone heat up thoroughly.

Bake the pizza on the lower rack of the oven for about 8–10 minutes, until the crust is golden brown.

4. Finish assembling the toppings

Remove the pizza from the oven and spread the pumpkin cream over the surface.

Add the stracchino by the spoonful and top with Rizzoline from Rizzoli’s Canale di Sicilia.

Serve the pizza immediately after making it to best enjoy the contrast between the sweetness of the pumpkin, the creaminess of the stracchino, and the bold flavor of the anchovies.

This recipe was created for us by Luisa Orizio, in collaboration with GialloZafferano.