Ever since I joined Daring Bakers, two months ago, I wondered what took me so long. OK the challenges were not easy, they are after all about challenging yourself and whilst they’re not the easiest or shortest recipes they somehow they have a knack for giving a challenge with a blow-them-out-of-the-water brilliant recipe. The first challenge was a pizza one, using Peter Reinhart’s Basic Pizza Dough recipe. And since then, I’m afraid I’ve abandoned my Stephanie Alexander recipe in favour of this one. Sure, it takes a bit more time (overnight in the fridge) but the dough makes enough for 6 pizzas and freezing some dough balls in the freezer means that I can have pizza almost every night if I want to.
So when M and her two hungry boys were coming over I knew I’d knock up a range of pizzas. I asked M what her boys like. Cryptically, she replied:
Hi, S loves simple Margarita with no Tomato Chunks. In also like Hawaiian without Pineapple – yes it sounds strange…
I eat everything
Cheers M
Haha! Don’t you love kids and their idiosyncratic eating? In any case I knew I could do something interesting with our adult pizzas and I happened to have some Triple Cream Brie in the fridge that needed someone to eat it (mememe!). My husband and S, in an effort to expend some energy as the boys were bouncing off the walls, ran down to the shops and bought a bunch of asparagus and it was a done deal. Below is the pizza dough recipe, adapted slightly to what I do now that I’ve made a few batches of this. This time I replaced 1 cup of the regular flour with wholemeal flour. I’ve put White Truffle oil as optional (after tasting real truffle, I realise it’s nothing like it), only because I don’t like the stuff but my husband does.
Triple Cream Brie-food of the gods (cheese of the gods just sounds weird)
As for the boys, they seemed to like their margarita with no tomato chunks pizza (read: tomato pizza sauce and cheese pizza) and Hawaiian without pineapple (read: ham pizza) and by the end of the day, after bouncing all over our place with the Swiss ball, eating pizza and ice cream sundaes, they’d exhausted themselves and M took them home to sleep.
Asparagus and Triple Cream Brie Pizza
Pizza topping
- 1/2 bunch of asparagus thin stalks, if thick ones, cut in half vertically.
- 60grams Triple Cream Brie
- 50g cheese (mozarella or whatever good melting cheese you like)
- salt and pepper to season
- White Truffle oil (optional)
Basic Pizza Dough
Original recipe taken from “The Bread Baker’s Apprentice” by Peter Reinhart.
Makes 6 pizza crusts (about 9-12 inches/23-30 cm in diameter).
Ingredients
- 4 1/2 Cups (20 1/4 ounces/607.5 g) Unbleached high-gluten (%14) bread flour or all purpose flour, chilled (I used 3 1/2 cups plain flour and 1 cup of wholemeal flour)
- 1 3/4 Tsp Salt
- 1 Tsp Instant yeast
- 1/4 Cup (2 ounces/60g) Olive oil or vegetable oil (both optional, but it’s better with)
- 1 3/4 Cups (14 ounces/420g or 420ml) Water, ice cold (40° F/4.5° C)
- 1 Tb sugar
- Semolina/durum flour or cornmeal for dusting
DAY ONE
Method:
1. Mix together the flour, salt and instant yeast in a big bowl (or in the bowl of your stand mixer). Place in fridge to chill.
2. Add the oil, sugar and cold water and mix well (with the help of a large wooden spoon or with the paddle attachment, on low speed) in order to form a sticky ball of dough. If you are using an electric mixer, switch to the dough hook and mix on medium speed for about 5 minutes.The dough should clear the sides of the bowl but stick to the bottom of the bowl. If the dough is too wet, sprinkle in a little more flour, so that it clears the sides. If, on the contrary, it clears the bottom of the bowl, dribble in a teaspoon or two of cold water. The finished dough should be springy, elastic, and sticky, not just tacky, and register 50°-55° F/10°-13° C.
3. Flour a work surface or counter. Line a large container (with a lid) with baking paper/parchment on the bottom and side. Lightly oil the paper.
4. With the help of a metal or plastic dough scraper, cut the dough into 6 equal pieces (or larger if you want to make larger pizzas). To avoid the dough from sticking to the scraper, dip the scraper into water between cuts.
5. Sprinkle some flour over the dough. Make sure your hands are dry and then flour them. Gently round each piece into a ball. If the dough sticks to your hands, then dip your hands into the flour again.
6. Transfer the dough balls to the container and brush the tops with oil. Place lid on container.
7. Put the container into the refrigerator and let the dough rest overnight or for up to thee days.
NOTE: You can store the dough balls in a zippered freezer bag if you want to save some of the dough for any future baking. In that case, pour some oil(a few tablespoons only) in a medium bowl and dip each dough ball into the oil, so that it is completely covered in oil. Then put each ball into a separate bag. Store the bags in the freezer for no longer than 3 months. The day before you plan to make pizza, remember to transfer the dough balls from the freezer to the refrigerator.
Thinly sliced Triple Cream Brie, asparagus and cheese
DAY TWO
8. On the day you plan to eat pizza, an hour or two before you make it, remove the desired number of dough balls from the refrigerator. Dust the counter with flour. Place the dough balls on a floured surface and sprinkle them with flour. Dust your hands with flour and delicately press the dough into disks about 1/2 inch/1.3 cm thick and 5 inches/12.7 cm in diameter. Sprinkle with flour.
9. At least 45 minutes before making the pizza, place a baking stone on the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 220° C).
NOTE: If you do not have a baking stone, then use a baking tray without sides. Do not preheat the pan.
10. Generously sprinkle the baking tray with semolina/durum flour or cornmeal. Flour your hands (palms, backs and knuckles). Take 1 piece of dough by lifting it with a pastry scraper. Lay the dough across your fists in a very delicate way and carefully stretch it by bouncing it in a circular motion on your hands, and by giving it a little stretch with each bounce. Once the dough has expanded outward, move to a full toss if you want to. I never do this, I just bounce and stretch it.
NOTE: Make only one pizza at a time. During the tossing process, if the dough tends to stick to your hands, lay it down on the floured counter and reflour your hands, then continue the tossing and shaping.
In case you would be having trouble tossing the dough or if the dough never wants to expand and always springs back, let it rest for approximately 5-20 minutes in order for the gluten to relax fully,then try again.
You can also resort to using a rolling pin, although it isn’t as effective as the toss method.
11. When the dough has the shape you want (about 9-12 inches/23-30 cm in diameter – for a 6 ounces/180g piece of dough), place it on the baking sheet, making sure there is enough semolina/durum flour or cornmeal to allow it to slide and not stick to the pan.
12. Top with thin slices of Triple cream brie and asparagus and then sprinkle the grated melting cheese over the top.
13. Slide the garnished pizza onto the stone in the oven or bake directly on the baking sheet. Close the door and bake for about 5-8 minutes.
14. Take the pizza out of the oven and transfer it to a cutting board or your plate. In order to allow the cheese to set a little, wait 3-5 minutes before slicing or serving. Drizzle with white truffle oil if using.
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31 Comments | Add your own
Sounds like a wonderful day! I too loved this pizza recipe. We had a great time in Australia. Thanks for your help in the planning! I’ll post about it soon.
You’re so brave! That pizza looks wonderful, as always.
Woah, interesting pizza toppings! I’m sorry I wasn’t there, the invitation must have been lost in the mail or something?
The photos look great, the asparagus really stands out.
How about God of Cheeses?
It’s a great dough recipe isn’t it?
yum, the asparagus and cheese combo looks fab!
just wondering what the difference is between the results you get from the stephanie alexander dough recipe and this one? (I am currently a devotee of the former
oh my good lord that looks fantastico!!!!
my daughter (6) is Brie-mad.
she’d live on Brie alone if she could.
hmmmmm…
will i ever learn not to visit your blog on an empty stomach?!
Hee hee hee hee hee cheese of the gods hee hee hee
Hmm for some reason I don’t like triple brie as much as double brie.. weird haha?
But that pizza is dayuumm, I’ll take all 6 pizzas kthx
Oh my, what a lovely pizza,yum!
Hi Barbara-It was fun indeed
That’s great to hear and I can’t wait to read all about it-you’re more than welcome, I hope some of it came in handy? 
Hi Blond Duck-Thankyou so much!
Hi Cappucino-Hehe yes that must have been what happened! Yeah it’s a very eye catching pizza (thankfully!)
Hi Y-Sure, that might work hehe. It’s awesome, I just made another new lot today!
Hi em-Thanks! Good question, I would say that this pizza is one where the edges are thicker but spongy and then the centre is paper thin. It’s quite amazing how paper thin (and therefore crispy) this dough can get without breaking. And the sprinkling of cornmeal on the bottom makes this super crispy and thin. Definitely for those who love a a thin base and a small amount of topping
Hi the projectivist-She sounds like she has good taste indeed!
Hehe sorry! 
Hi Ffichiban-Really? What do you like more about the double brie? I think this would even work with single brie truth be told
Hi yaelin-Thankyou so much!
Mmmm triple cream brie is heavenly!
You actually using the white mould? I though people had to throw these mould away because it tasted very strong and I dislike it.
asparagus is one of the few veggies i just don’t like, but if it were doused in enough brie, i think it’d be okay.
I don’t think “cheese of the gods” sounds odd. In fact, I rather like it.
This pizza is intriguing & I love all the ingredients. Besides, it’s gorgeous (which makes all food phenomenal, don’t you think?).
I’ve always been wary of doing pizza at home because I don’t have a pizza oven and past experience with the stone and the normal oven has not been satisfactory. My oven will only go on fan – is it okay to use fan oven and if so should I lower the temperature you quoted by 20C?
Hi Christie-I definitely wouldn’t kick it out of bed
Hi Lilia-A lot of people prefer the rind to the centre and if you cut it off, that’s more than half the brie gone! To me it’s not too strong. I don’t really see the point of brie without the rind.
Hi grace-Everything is indeed better when doused with brie isn’t it
Hi Sandie-Haha ok good! That’s very true, it certainly helps
Hi SydneyGal-I usually put my oven on fan (unless I’m doing macarons or something flyaway). So yes definitely the fan is ok. As long as it’s at least 200C it should be good
I have looked at this pizza for the last 5 minutes and cannot get myself to go away from this site. Wow, it looks so delicious!!!!
You, my dear, have achieved the impossible. You’ve made me think that asparagus looks good.
Sounds like you all had a fantastic evening!
looks like a fantastic flavor combo~
Looks great! We have our own pizza oven and I am always looking for new ideas for our pizza toppings. I think I’ll try your combination this weekend!
Hi nina-I definitely urge you to try it
We made a second one with the rest of the brie and it was still so good!
Hi Angela-Haha people either love it or hate it don’t they!
It was fun definitely 
Hi jain-It came purely out of desperation
I had some brie and didn’t know what to put it with and suddenly thought asparagus!
Hi Deb-Oh that’s great, I wish I had one! Do let me know what you think, I hope you like it
That is one amazingly appetizing pizza. Besides just being beautiful, you picked my fav- asparagus. Oh man, makes me want to buy some asparagus and start making this! Now!
Absolutely fantastic, I love the flavor combination and photos! I haven’t had a pizza in almost a year and I am so wanting yours right now. Honestly, I don’t know how you find time to do all the incredible things that you do.
i am absolutely loving this… the pictures… the idea of a TRIPLE CREAM CHEESE as a topping! i can’t (or, wait, i CAN) imagine the richness and tastiness of this dish. this could be a great “small bite” appetizer.
What a delicious sounding combination.
Hi Lori-Oh cool! Thankyou so much
It’s such a nice combination I think your taste buds would be thankful if you do make it 
Hi Kim-Thankyou! it’s hard to find the time but I love it. Well if there’s a pizza to break your pizza drought, it’s this one
Hi We Are Never Full-Thanks so much!
Yes cut into small pieces or on mini pizza rounds it would be rather good cocktial party food too!
Hi CourtJ-Why thankyou!
wow the triple cream heart by-pass looks delicious.
s
Hi Simon-If you have to go you may as well do it in style!
This looks delicious. A question though: I have a pizza stone. Do I put the pizza directly onto the stone or do I put baking paper between the pizza and stone. If so, where does the semolina go? If I don’t put baking paper, how do I clean my stone properly? I would appreciate your help.
Hi Nerida-I don’t have a pizza stone so I’m not really au fait with how they work but I think that you can put the semolina on the pizza stone and then the pizza dough on top of it. I am not sure about cleaning the stone, perhaps the store you bought it from could let you know the best way to do it?
so wish I could eat that of the screen!
I love asparagus, but never thought of trying it in a pizza before! It looks great and I’ll be sure to try this next time.
I usually use asparagus in stir-fries, as in this one:
http://www.vegrecipes4u.com/asparagus-stir-fry.html
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