Friday, March 20, 2009

Thin Crust Pizza

This disappears in a flash. And the kids say it's better than Little Caesar's!

4 C. whole wheat pastry flour*
4-1/2 tsp yeast
2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp sucanat
1-1/2 c. warm water
2 TBS olive oil

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Mix together all the dry ingredients in a Bosch or Kitchenaid mixer. In a small bowl, mix together water & olive oil. While mixer is mixing, slowly add liquid. Knead until dough sticks together. Stop the machine and check if the dough is too dry. If so, add more flour. (If too dry, add more water). Dough should be soft and not too sticky.

Spray a medium sized bowl with cooking spray. Put dough in bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rest for 20-30 minutes.

Spread flour out on the counter. Split dough in half and roll out in flour so it is a very thin crust. Spread a thin layer of cornmeal on a pizza stone. Place pizza crust on pizza stone. Spread a very thin layer of spaghetti sauce on top. Add mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese. Add toppings of your choice, such as thinly sliced peppers & red onions, olives, mushrooms, nitrate-free ham or pepperoni, chopped chicken, etc. Sprinkle with italian seasoning over everything.

Bake in the oven for about 9-12 minutes.

If you don't have a pizza stone, you can use a porcelain tile. Put a sheet of parchment paper on top. Pizza stones do work better, but this can work too. If you don't have a porcelain tile, you can bake on baking sheets, but you'll have to make the crust a little thicker and cook at a lower temperature (like 375 or 400) for a longer time.

*Pastry flour is made from soft white wheat. You can buy it already milled at the health food store, or grind your own.

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