Spicy Sausage and Fontina Pizza

Directions

1. Preheat the oven, with a pizza stone or steel on the top rack, to 500°F or as high as your oven will go. If you don’t have a pizza stone or steel then place a 12 inch cast iron pan upside down on the top rack.
2. Crumble the spicy Italian sausage into a cast iron or oven safe skillet. Place in the oven while it preheats to cook.
3. To make the pizza dough: In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer combine the water, yeast and honey. Let sit for 5 minutes or until foamy.
4. Add the flour, salt and 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil. Stir until a scraggly dough forms then turn out onto the counter and knead until a smooth dough forms, approximately 7 minutes. If you are using the stand mixer: with the dough hook knead for 5-7 minutes until a smooth dough forms.
5. Lightly oil a clean bowl and place the dough in. Turn to coat the dough in oil then cover with a clean dish towel or plastic wrap. Proof in a warm, draft free spot for 25 to 30 minutes until almost doubled in size.
6. To make the arrabbiata sauce: In a large saucepot on medium, heat the olive oil until it shimmers. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until just beginning to toast, approximately 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato paste and cook until a dark maroon color, approximately 2 minutes. Carefully stir in the crushed tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Allow it to simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes or until reduced by at least one third. Before using, stir in the basil, oregano and a few generous pinches of salt. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
7. Check the sausage; remove from the oven once the fat is rendered and the meat is cooked and golden brown. Save the fat for another use (if desired).
8. Lightly flour the counter and turn the pizza dough out of the bowl (let gravity do its job and don’t use your hands to scoop it out). Using a bench scraper or knife divide dough in half. Cover one of them with the bowl while you roll out the other. Gently shape the dough into a circle then roll out to ¼ inch thickness, rotating as you go to ensure a round shape. Transfer to a piece of parchment or a pizza peel or cutting board dusted with cornmeal; roll out the other piece of dough and transfer to a separate piece of parchment paper. If you’re using cornmeal, give the pizza peel or board a good shake to make sure the dough will easily slide off before you build the pizza.
9. Place a ¼ cup of arrabbiata sauce in the center of the dough and use the back of a spoon or ladle to spread the sauce evenly to the edge of the dough (you can leave a rim around the edge if you’d like). Sprinkle the fontina evenly over the sauce followed by the cooked sausage and red onions. Sprinkle a little more fontina over the top and transfer to the oven. Bake for 5 to 10 minutes, depending on your oven. Let the pizza sit for a few minutes before slicing.