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To me, homemade pizza in any form is so much butter than store bought crusts or the frozen varieties a/k/a cardboard. I’m such a pizza snob! I’m not saying Pizza Hut and Papa John’s isn’t good. I would be telling a fib if I did.
For the past few months we’ve tried several different recipes and have truly enjoyed them all. We made a Deep Dish Pizza using the Focaccia recipe for the crust, and a Whole Wheat Pizza Crust that was really good too. This thin crust also did not disappoint, is extremely easy to make, and inexpensive!
All you need for the crust is flour, salt, water, yeast, olive oil and one tablespoon sugar.
Pour 1 cup of lukewarm water into a large bowl. Stir in one tablespoon sugar until dissolved. Sprinkle one package of active dry yeast on top and set aside for about 10 minutes.
The yeast will start to bloom and become foamy.
Once all the yeast is bubbly, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt. The stir in 2 1/2 cups flour. The dough will be a bit sticky. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead until you have a dough that is smooth and elastic.
Kneading is almost as good as lifting weights and smells so much better!
Place the dough in a well oiled large bowl. Turn to coat.
Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and place in a warm spot free from drafts for about 30 minutes.
While the dough is rising, prepare the toppings. We’re making a Barbecue chicken pizza with red onions and cilantro. We decided on Monterrey jack cheese with a little cheddar thrown in too. Dice the onions small because they won’t be in the oven very long.
Chop cilantro too.
I marinated 4 chicken breasts in BBQ sauce and cooked them on the grill. I’ll use two breasts for the pizza and save the other two for dinner later in the week.
Slice or chop the chicken in small pieces.
The dough doesn’t get too big because we didn’t add a lot of yeast. This is a thin crust so it won’t be real puffy. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Lightly grease two 12-inch pizza pans. Sprinkle with a little bit of cornmeal. Divide the dough in half and spread it with your hands, trying to make it thicker around the edge.
For a crispier crust you can pre-bake the dough for about 8 minutes before adding the toppings. I might not do this every time and would be interested to see if it makes a big difference.
Spread a thin layer of Barbecue sauce on the pre-baked crust. I used what was already open in the fridge.
Add your toppings. I layered the chicken, onions, cheese and then cilantro. You can wait and add the cilantro after it’s baked if you prefer. Or add some before and after. No right or wrong here.
Toppings all good to go.
Bake for about 10 – 15 minutes on a lower rack of the oven.
The crust was crispy without being too hard. Just the right amount of crunch!
This made two 12-inch pizzas so we had a lot left over.
I sent text messages to our adult children in case they were close by and possibly hungry.
Our son stopped by and had some cold pizza the next afternoon. It was good then too!
Don’t be afraid to try a homemade crust. It’s really fun and the taste is so much better than pre-made store bought crusts.
Pizza Dough for Thin Crust Pizza
(Adapted from a recipe on Food.com)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (you may substitute 1 cup whole wheat for all-purpose)
1 package active dry yeast (1/4 ounce)
1/4 teaspoon Kosher or Sea salt
1 cup warm water
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil (more for oiling bowl)
cornmeal for sprinkling on pizza pan
Mix the sugar in warm water until dissolved. Sprinkle yeast on top and allow to sit until foamy, about 10 minutes. Add flour, salt, and olive oil. Stir until well mixed. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.
Place dough in a well oiled bowl and cover with a kitchen towel. Set in a warm place free from drafts for about 30 minutes.
Lightly grease two 12-inch pizza pans. Sprinkle with a little cornmeal.
Divide dough in half and spread on a pizza pan with your hands stretching to cover the entire pan. Make a lip around the edge to help hold in the toppings.
You can pre-bake the crust for about 8 minutes if desired. Then spread with desired topping and bake until bubbly and hot, about 10 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
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Thanks so much for stopping by!
Do you have big dinner plans for Easter? Are you traditional with ham and all the fixings?
I’ll post a nice casserole to go with you ham tomorrow so please check back.
Have a great Wednesday 🙂
Tricia
CQUEK
oh yes..
Sarah @ The Smart Kitchen
My favorite pizza! 🙂