Spring Pizza with Asparagus and Prosciutto

This pizza can either be a fun project or quick dinner - depending if you go with homemade or store bought dough. Either way it is delicious.

Spring Pizza with Asparagus and Prosciutto

• 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

• 1 3/4 luke warm water

• 4 1/2 cups all purpose flour, plus more for dusting

• 2 teaspoons sea salt, plus more for sprinkling

• Cornmeal

• 1 pound thin asparagus, tough ends trimmed and blanched until just tender

• 4 eggs

• 6 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto

• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan

• 4 tablespoons olive oil

Combine yeast and water in a large mixing bowl and let stand until yeast is nice and foamy, about 5 minutes.  Stir in flour and salt, turn out onto a lightly floured board and knead to form a soft slightly elastic dough.  Place dough in a well oiled bowl, turn to coat, cover loosely with plastic and refrigerate overnight - the longer the better.  

4 hours before you wish to bake pizza (and remember you can buy dough or use a pre fab crust if this is all getting too much - in which case skip to topping) remove dough from fridge, punch down and divide into quarters.  Shape each quarter into a nice tight ball.  Cover with plastic and return to fridge for another 3 hours (longer is OK too).  

Remove balls from refrigerator and preheat oven (and pizza stone if using) to 475. If not using pizza stone place a baking sheet in the oven to heat.   Let balls come to room temperature while oven heats - they should stand about 30 or so minutes.   Dust pizza stone or baking sheet with cornmeal.  Stretch and pull one ball of dough to form a nice thin crust.  Set on hot stone or sheet.  Place a 1/4 of blanched asparagus over dough.  Arrange 1/4 of prosciutto over asparagus. Create a shallow dent in dough and crack one egg directly into dent.  Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons grated cheese. Sprinkle with sea salt.  Set in oven and bake until pizza dough is crisp and golden, asparagus is nicely charred and egg is set about 20 minutes.  Repeat process with remaining dough and toppings - keeping the hot pizzas coming!