Potato Pizza Bianca

Directions

1. Pizza Bianca Dough
2. Place flour into a large bowl (or 6-quart Cambro). Add all but a tablespoon or two of water to the flour and mix to combine. Pour the remaining water into a small bowl and stir in the yeast. Allow flour and yeast to hydrate for 20 to 30 minutes.
3. Stir the yeast mixture and sprinkle it over the flour mixture (which will become the dough). Tear off a chunk of the dough and use it to wipe out any residual yeast and water, then add it back to the bowl. Sprinkle the salt and oil onto the dough. Moisten your dominant hand. Hold the rim of your bowl with your other hand, then reach under the dough and grab about a quarter of it. Stretch the dough (but don't tear it), and fold it over the top of the dough. Rotate the bowl and repeat to encase the salt, yeast, and oil in the dough (don't worry if a bit of the water or oil escapes in the process). Use your thumb and index finger like a lobster claw to pinch through the dough creating 5 or 6 sections. Fold the dough as before until it becomes a cohesive mass. Wet your hand as needed to keep the dough from sticking to it. Repeat the pinching and folding 6 or 7 more times to fully mix the dough. Cover the dough and let it rest for 30 or so minutes.
4. After 30 minutes, repeat the folding process (but not the pinching). After the final fold, lightly coat the dough and bottom of the bowl with olive oil. Place the dough in the bowl, seam side down. Cover and let rise until it's 2 1/2 to 3 times its original volume, which should take 11 hours or so.
5. Lightly flour a counter top and gently transfer the dough onto it. Use your fingers (and a bit of flour if needed) to loosen the dough out of the bowl, trying not to tear the dough in the process. Repeat the folding technique to create a ball, then flip the dough, seam-side down, onto a flour-free area of the counter, about a foot from the edge. Cup your hands together behind the dough, and pull the ball toward you about 8 inches (you need a flour-free surface for traction). Rotate the dough a quarter turn and repeat until you've gone around the dough 2 to 3 times creating a somewhat tight ball.
6. Place the dough on a moderately-floured plate, then lightly dust it with more flour and cover with plastic wrap. Place in refrigerator for at least 6 hours (and up to 48 hours) to proof. Bring dough to room temperature 2 to 2 1/2 hours before you're ready to bake.

1. Potato Pizza Bianca
2. Preheat oven to 500° F with pizza stone or steel on lower middle rack for at least 45 minutes. (Either place the other rack at the lowest position, or remove it from the oven.)
3. Peel then cut potatoes into quarters. Place potato quarters into a 3 to 4 quart pot. Remove root and stem ends from onion. Score the 3 outer rings so they can easily be removed, and add them to the pot with the potatoes (reserve the inner parts of the onion for later in the recipe). Fill pot with water to cover potatoes by an inch (about 1 ½ to 2 quarts). Add salt and bay leaf. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to maintain a simmer. Cook until a paring knife easily slips through the potatoes, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain potatoes in colander until ready to top pizza. Discard cooking onion and bay leaves.
4. While the potatoes are cooking, dice the remaining onion and measure out 1/2 cup. Set aside for the pizza topping stage.
5. Oil a rimmed half-sheet pan with about 1 tablespoon olive oil. Moderately flour a counter top and put the dough on the flour. Flip the dough over so each side is lightly coated. Flatten and stretch the dough using your hands until it is 2/3 to 3/4 the size of the sheet pan. Transfer the dough to the sheet pan. With lightly floured hands, press and stretch the dough to fill the pan. Once it's close, drizzle on about 1 tablespoon olive oil, and use your fingers to spread it evenly over the surface, as you continue to press the dough into the edges and corners. If the corners want to shrink back, let the gluten relax by waiting 10 minutes, and then press and stretch again. Once the dough is completely covering the pan, sprinkle with the rosemary leaves and a bit of salt.
6. Using a potato ricer, rice the potatoes directly onto the dough in a fairly even blanket, avoiding the outer half-inch of the dough (a little will land there, just avoid a heavy amount). Scatter the diced onion over the potatoes. Drizzle on the remaining olive oil, then sprinkle with black pepper and a couple of pinches salt.
7. Place pan directly onto pizza stone or steel, and bake until the potatoes are starting to get golden brown spots, 14 to 15 minutes. Transfer the pizza onto a peel (or flat sheet pan). Top with shredded cheese, then thyme leaves. Transfer the pizza onto the pizza stone/steel. Bake just until the cheese is nicely melted, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. (NOTE: You can leave the pizza in the pan the whole time, but the bottom won't crisp up as well.) Transfer pizza onto a cutting board and serve in generous rectangles.
8. *the domestic versions of Provolone Piccante I've found are no where near as flavorful as the Italian, which is fairly sharp and a little nutty. It is worth tracking down and spending the $20/lb. If you absolutely can't find it, top the pizza with a mix of Provolone and Parmesan.