Brazilian-Style Pizza with Ricotta, Za’atar and Arugula

Step 1

To make the dough, in a stand mixer with the dough hook, mix the all-purpose flour, sugar, salt and yeast on medium until well combined, about 15 seconds. With the mixer on low, drizzle in the oil followed by the water. Knead on low until the mixture forms a smooth, elastic dough that clears the sides of the bowl, 8 to 10 minutes; if the dough sticks to the bowl, knead in additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time. The finished dough should be soft but not stick to your hands. Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to it. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until doubled, 1½ to 2 hours.

Step 2

Mist the insides of two 1-quart zip-close plastic bags with cooking spray. Generously dust the counter with flour, scrape the dough out onto it and divide it in half. With floured hands, form each portion into a taut ball and dust with flour. Place 1 dough ball in each prepared bag, seal and refrigerate for at least 24 or up to 72 hours.

Step 3

About 4 hours before making pizza, remove the dough from the refrigerator. Brush a rimmed baking sheet with oil. Remove the dough from the bags and place on the baking sheet, spacing them apart. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature until the dough has completely lost its chill, about 4 hours; after about 3 hours, heat the oven to 500°F with a baking steel or stone on the upper-middle rack.

Step 4

After turning on the oven, make the sauce and prepare the toppings. In a food processor, pulse the tomatoes until chopped into rough ¼-inch bits, about 13 pulses. Transfer to a fine-mesh sieve set over a medium bowl and let drain at room temperature for at least 30 minutes or until ready to use; occasionally shake the sieve to encourage the liquid to drain off and make sure the bottom of the sieve is not touching the liquid that has collected in the bowl.

Step 5

While the tomatoes are draining, in a small bowl, stir together the ricotta, 4 tablespoons of the oil, 2 teaspoons of the oregano, the za’atar, sumac and ½ teaspoon each salt and black pepper. In another small bowl, toss together the onion and 1 tablespoon of the remaining oil. Set both the ricotta mixture and the onion aside.

Step 6

When you are ready to shape the dough, blot the tomatoes dry with paper towels and transfer them to another small bowl; discard the juices in the bowl. Stir in 1 tablespoon of the remaining oil, the remaining ½ teaspoon oregano and the pepper flakes, then season to taste with salt and black pepper.

Step 7

Dust the counter with flour and transfer 1 portion of dough to the counter. Flour your hands and, using your fingers, press the dough, starting at the center and working out to the edges, into a 13-inch round, flipping the dough once. The round should be thin at the center, with slightly thicker edges.

Step 8

Lightly dust a baking peel, inverted rimmed baking sheet or rimless cookie sheet with semolina. Transfer the dough to the peel and, if needed, reshape into a 13-inch round. Using the back of a spoon, evenly spread half of the tomato sauce (about ½ cup), leaving a ½-inch border around the edge.

Step 9

Top the shaped and sauced dough with half of the oil-tossed onion. Slide the pizza into the 500°F oven onto the hot baking steel or stone and bake until the crust is well browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Using the peel, transfer the pizza to a wire rack. Cool for a couple minutes, then dollop on half of the ricotta mixture. Working quickly, in another medium bowl, toss half of the arugula with 1 tablespoon of the remaining oil and 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice, then top the pizza with the arugula.

Step 10

Shape, sauce, top and bake the second pizza in the same way using the remaining toppings.