spinach cream cheese pizza

This is an unusual pizza recipe I thought up one week after a delay resulting in moldy baguettes cancelled another recipe for which I'd already purchased all the ingredients. While unusual, the tastes go well with the pizza dough. I've put 1 box of cream cheese in the ingredient list because when I used 2 boxes the taste came out too heavily cream cheesy. I'm not sure though if 1 or 1 1/2 boxes would be ideal. Someday I'll make this again and have a go.

You can always halve the recipe.

• 5 C flour

• 1 package yeast

• 1 1/2 tsp salt

• 1 3/4 C warm water (105 degree)

• 2 tbsp oil

• food thermometer

• 1 box cream cheese

• 1 bunch spinach

• food processor

• 1 package regular bacon

• 1 slice ham

• 1 large tomato

• 3 oz diced pimentos

• 1 can sliced water chestnuts

• 1 bundle green onions

• parmesan cheese

• corn meal (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 475.

2. Make the pizza dough. First mix the dry ingredients. Add 5 cups of flour, yeast, and salt to a bowl and stir them together.

3. Add the warm water and oil to the mix. If no thermometer is available to check the water temperature then dip a finger into the water to assess the temperature. 105 degrees feels luke warm.

4. Knead the pizza dough together. The dough will come out slightly sticky. That is okay. Don't add more flour.

5. If a pizza dish is available, spread the dough out on that. Otherwise, take a cookie sheet and spread foil over the sheet. Grease the foil. If desired sprinkle corn meal over the surface to get the traditional pizza texture. Spread the dough all the way over the cookie sheet, so that it covers the entire sheet and touches the sides. Leave the dough to set while making all the other ingredients.

6. Fry a package of bacon.

7. Prepare the other ingredients. Rinse and chop the green onions and set aside. If the water chestnuts are not chopped, open the can and chop them. Rinse the spinach thoroughly and cut off the stems. Cut up the tomato.

8. In a food processor combine one package of cream cheese and the spinach. The amount of cream cheese added here is to taste. Two blocks was too much. Check taste. Pulse the spinach mix until it is thoroughly mixed. Pour the mixture into a bowl.

9. Put the bacon in the food processor and pulse it to crumbles. Add the bacon to the spinach mixture.

10. If the thick ham slice is not already cooked, cook it in the microwave and then cut it into chunks.

11. Add the green onions, approximately 2 1/2 ounces of diced pimentos, and sliced water chestnuts to the spinach mix. Stir everything together.

12. Rub bacon grease over the pizza dough. Spread the spinach mixture over the dough. Put the ham chunks and tomato pieces on top of the mixture. Sprinkle parmesan cheese and pimentos as desired over everything.

13. Put the pizza in the oven and bake for between 10 and 15 minutes.

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