A pizza crust made with polenta isn't as strange as it might seem. In fact, Molise, a mountainous region on the Adriatic south of Abruzzo, is known for pizza de randinie, a corn pizza/bread consumed daily by the poor for centuries.
Not only does this polenta pizza recipe pack vibrant flavor, but the cornflour adds makes the dough crispy which prevents the crust from getting soggy and ensures crunchy bite after crunchy bite.
Polenta Pizza with Sausage, Radicchio, and Onions
Serves 4-6
Difficulty Intermediate
Time 1 hour and 10 minutes + 3 hours for leavening
Ingredients:
For the dough
10 oz. corn flour
7 oz. Manitoba flour
5 oz. all-purpose flour
2 oz. fresh brewer’s yeast
extra-virgin olive oil
salt
For the dressing
12 oz. sausage
3 oz. mozzarella for the pizza
2 radicchio
1 red onion
tomato purée
extra-virgin olive oil
Method:
For the dough
Dissolve 5 tsp. salt and yeast with 1-2 Tbsp. water separately. Blend the flours with the melted yeast and salt, 2 cups water and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil until the dough is elastic and smooth. Use your hands to knead it gently into a ball and let rise for 2 hours in a container covered with plastic wrap.
Divide the dough into 4 parts, roll each one into balls with circular movements on the kitchen table, sprinkle with flour, and leave to rise at room temperature for at least 1 hour, covered with plastic wrap.
Put extra-virgin olive oil in pizza pans (11” wide) and spread the dough balls evenly with your hands until they are 0.19” wide. Leave to rise for another 10 minutes.
For the dressing
Remove the sausage from the casing, slice into 1” cubes, and brown for 1-2 minutes with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. Clean the onion, crush and brown it for 2-3 minutes with a drizzle of extra- virgin olive oil in the same pan used for the sausage. Slice each radicchio into 8 parts, and sprinkle with grated mozzarella.
Pour a cup of tomato purée over the pizza, then add the mozzarella, radicchio, onion, and sausage.
Pre-heat oven to 400°F, bake for 18-20 minutes.
Recipes Davide Brovelli
Photography Riccardo Lettieri
Styling Bettina Casanova