Healthy Pizza with Spinach and Ricotta

Ingredients:

Dough

• 2 cups bread flour + extra for work
• 1 cup whole wheat flour for baking
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 packet of active dry yeast

Sauce

• 0.5 tsp dried oregano
• 4 plum tomatoes, cored and coarsely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 0.5 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped

Topping

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1.5 cups grated semi-skimmed mozzarella
• 2 tbsp. l. grated parmesan
• 1 bag (170g) baby spinach, steamed, squeezed and coarsely chopped
• 0.5 cups semi-skimmed ricotta
• Torn fresh basil leaves, for serving
• Crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Preparation:

1. Dough:
   
   In a large bowl, combine both types of flour with 1/4 teaspoon of salt and make a well in the center. Mix 1 1/4 cups of water with the olive oil and yeast and pour into the well. Knead into a soft, loose dough. Turn it out onto a lightly floured board and knead until the dough is smooth and springs back when pressed with your thumb.
2. Place the dough in a bowl coated with cooking spray, spray the dough ball with cooking spray, cover, and let it rest until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Divide the dough in 2 and form each piece into a ball. Cover and let it rest for another 30 minutes.
3. Sauce:
   
   In a small skillet, combine the oregano, tomatoes, and garlic and bring to a boil over medium heat. Continue cooking, stirring and lightly mashing the tomatoes with a spatula, until they release their liquid and the sauce thickens, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat, season with salt and pepper, and toss with basil.
4. Assembling the pizza:
   
   Place two baking sheets in the oven and preheat to 260°C (500°F). Stretch or roll each piece of dough into a very thin layer and place each sheet on a sheet of lightly floured parchment paper the same size as the baking sheets (the dough will be oval). Rub each sheet of dough with 1 teaspoon olive oil, sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper, and carefully transfer to the hot baking sheets.
5. Bake until golden brown, 8-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and spread sauce on each pizza crust. Spread evenly, leaving about 1 cm from the edges, and then sprinkle with mozzarella, Parmesan, and spinach.
6. Return the pizzas to the oven and continue baking until the crust is crisp and the cheese is melted and golden brown in spots, 6-8 minutes, rotating the baking sheets if necessary. Remove from the oven and top the pizzas with ricotta cheese and sprinkle with fresh basil. Season the pizzas with salt and red pepper flakes, if using.