Another item on the White Day menu was pizza, with white mushrooms. I could have used an assortment of white mushrooms available here, such as enoki or maitake, but my daughter insisted on the white button mushroom. Making this pizza gave me a chance to try out a new dough recipe from the latest Saveur magazine. And it is a keeper! The dough was flavorful, crispy and chewy at the same time, and baked up light and airy but sturdy enough to handle toppings. I prepared the dough the day before and refrigerated it overnight, taking it out the next morning to let it come to room temperature in time to serve for lunch. It couldn't have been easier and was perfect for a White Day celebration.

White Day Mushroom Pizza

Adapted from Saveur Magazine, inspired by Pizzeria Mozza

Makes 4 medium sized pizzas

For the dough:

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 cups warm water (115°F/46°C)

6 cups flour (I used 00 Italian bread flour)

In a mixer bowl, combine the oil, yeast, sugar, salt and water. Let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes. Pour in flour and attach the dough hook to the stand mixer and knead for about 5 minutes, until the dough has come together and is smooth. You can also do this part by hand and knead the dough on a work surface for 8-10 minutes until smooth. Divide the dough into four equal parts and roll them into balls. Place two balls into a large zippered plastic bag and the other two into another plastic bag, close the bag and let rise slowly in the refrigerator overnight. Alternatively, you can place the four balls of dough on a floured baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 2-3 hours. After rising overnight, take the dough out and knead gently to reshape the dough into a ball on a floured work surface. Place each dough ball on a floured baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Let come to room temperature before baking, at least 3 hours.

For the sauce:

400g can whole tomatoes (about 14oz.)

1 garlic clove

1/4 round onion

1 teaspoon oregano

salt and pepper to taste

Puree all of the above ingredients in a blender or food processor.

For the topping:

400 g mozzarella cheese, sliced (about 14 oz.)

2 cups sliced white button mushrooms

1 cup of fresh basil leaves

Extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

To make pizza:

Preheat oven to the highest setting, in my case 250°C, or up to 500°F, with a pizza stone (set on the lowest rack) or if you don't have a pizza stone, a pizza baking pan inserted on the highest rack. I have a perforated metal round pizza pan that I use and this worked great for me. Lay a square of parchment paper (about the size of your pizza pan) on your work surface and put one ball on the paper and spread it to the size of about 10 in (25cm), stretching and pushing out from the center to the outside edges. Keep the outside edge a little thicker than the center to create a crust.

Spoon about 1/4 cup of pizza sauce on the dough, tear some basil leaves and sprinkle them on top of the sauce, then lay down slices of mozzarella. Remember the cheese will melt and spread so leave some space between each slice of cheese. Place some mushrooms on top and in between the slices of cheese and then lightly drizzle the whole pizza with some olive oil. Sprinkle some salt and pepper over the top.

Take the pizza pan out of the oven and slide the parchment paper with the pizza onto the hot pan. If you have a pizza stone, transfer the paper and pizza directly onto the stone. You may need to use another large plate or pizza peel, if you have one, to transfer the pizza in one piece. The paper will brown but will not burn. Bake for 10 minutes, until crust is golden brown. Serve immediately.