Recipe Ingredients:

Quick Pizza Sponge

• 1 cup warm water
• 1/4 teaspoon dry yeast
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

Pizza Dough All the sponge from above

• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 1/2 cups bread flour

Topping (for 1 pizza, triple for entire recipe)

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 small clove garlic, finely minced
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/4 cups cream cheese
• 1 small red onion, sliced thin
• 1/4 cup sliced black olives (any type)
• 2 small plum tomatoes, sliced
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
• Approximately 2 ounces lox, minced
• Sesame seeds, for sprinkling

Quick Pizza Sponge: In a bowl, whisk together the water, yeast, and sugar. Let the mixture stand for a couple of minutes, then stir in the flour to make a soft, pudding like batter. Cover the sponge with plastic wrap and let it stand anywhere from 30 minutes to overnight (the longer the better, but even a half hour will make for a better-flavored and -textured pizza).

Dough: Stir down the sponge mixture and add the dough ingredients. Knead for 8 minutes to make a soft dough. Cover and set aside to rise for 30 minutes. Gently deflate the dough and let it rise again until needed (1 to 3 hours).

To make the pizza, divide the dough into 3 pieces. Flatten each one to make a 9-inch disc. Cover with a tea towel and let rest for a few minutes. Preheat the oven to "Broil," (though the pizza goes in the oven not the broiler). Place the pizza on a baking sheet and set it on the lowest rack in the oven. (Check often to ensure it does not burn). Allow the pizza to bake for a few minutes so that the top surface chars a bit (5 to 8 minutes). Remove it from the oven. Reduce the oven temperature to 475 degrees.

Topping: On the charred surface, spread the olive oil and garlic, salt, and pepper. Spread out the feta and cream cheese (in dollops). Top with the remaining ingredients, brush the rim with olive oil and sprinkle on sesame seeds. Bake on the middle rack of the oven until the top is bubbling and the rim is colored, (7 to 8 minutes).

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