"What should we have for dinner tonight?", says Chris.
I don't answer right away because I know he's not going to like what I say.
"NOT PIZZA!" he says.
RUDE!!! If I could eat pizza for every meal, I think I probably would. I love pizza.
Before the 20 mile trail run I did in August, we made pizza and not only was I good to go for the race, but since we were forced to use the oven, I made a wonderful little discovery that using an oven to bake the pizza creates this lovely little crust!
I have been playing around with this recipe for thinner crust pizza, for a while. I finally perfected it this summer. It is so much quicker than your usual pizza dough recipe, which I think actually works in my favor with Chris. Takes less time, and he doesn't have to stand outside at the grill.
FIRST TIME MAKING PIZZA DOUGH???
If you have been wanting to try making your own pizza dough, this recipe is PERFECT for you!
Here's why:
There is no rise time.
Even if you get distracted and have to step away, the pizza won't rise that much because you're using such a small amount of yeast.
You can totally use your oven for this pizza! Perfect no matter what climate you live in! (Sometimes here in Nashville in the summer, grilling anything is kind of miserable)
There are only a couple ingredients in the dough, so if you needed to, you could totally start over.
I've been making my own pizza and bread dough for about 3 - 4 years, and if I had a penny for every time I got halfway through a recipe and read 'let dough rise for 8 - 12 hours', I would at least have enough money for new running shoes at this point.
TOPPINGS FOR THIN CRUST PIZZA: BEST PRACTICES
The most important thing to remember when you're making thin crust pizza is that you need to add all ingredients sparingly! For your first pizza, try using a tablespoon of tomato sauce and use the back of a spoon to spread it evenly. The less moisture on top of the pizza, the better! As for toppings, add less than you think is necessary. (This one person I know added tons of chickpeas to her pizza and then when she was taking it out of the oven they spilled onto the bottom of the oven and caused the fire alarm to go off five times in a row.)
My favorite go to pizza towards the end of this summer has been peach basil pizza. Now that we are officially in Fall season, roasted squash is about to become a staple in our household. I saw delicata squash for the first time three weeks ago. This is my favorite squash because you don't have to peel it, the skin is totally edible! Roasting delicata squash brings out a sweet creamy texture and is a pretty quick process.
My other go to this past year has been chickpeas which is super easy and adds extra crunch and protein! Add some herbs and you've got yourself a winner!
PIZZA ACCOUTREMENTS
Chickpea Pizza
1 cup chickpeas, shelled + 1 tablespoon chili powder + 1 teaspoon cumin powder + 1/4 tsp kosher salt
Roll chickpeas in chili powder, cumin, and salt mixture. Add more or less, to whatever your heart desires!
Peach Cherry Tomatoes and Basil Pizza
1 small peach, diced
1 handful of cherry tomatoes, cut in half
handful of fresh herbs
Roasted Delicata Squash & Tomatoes
1 small delicata squash, cut into 1/2 inch slices
handful of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
2 teaspoons olive oil
sprinkle of kosher salt + freshly ground black pepper
Roast at 415 degrees for about 15 minutes, flip if needed.
Celebrate Fall and Meatless Monday by making one of these delicious pizzas! If you do, please let me know what you think or if you have any questions! Leave me a comment below! Make sure you're following me on Instagram @corrielanderson , post a photo of your beautiful creation, tag me, and use #itsallofit!
One more thing!!! Share your favorite pizza accoutrements with me! Accoutrements. One of my favorite words...
HAPPY PIZZA MAKING!!!
CRACKER THIN PIZZA DOUGH
Recipe Author: Corrie Anderson
Recipe Type: Dinner
Serves: 3 - 4 small pizzas
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour + 1/2 to 3/4 cup on the side
1/2 cup, Spelt flour
1/4 teaspoon Active Dry Yeast
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon honey
3/4 cup water
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 525 degrees. Get a cookie sheet sized piece of tinfoil ready.
Add 1/4 cup water, yeast, and honey to a large bowl. Whisk until well incorporated and wait 5 minutes for the yeast to activate.
Add all-purpose and spelt flour and salt to bowl. Mix well. Use a wooden spoon or strong spatula if you don't have a kitchen aid mixer. Add more water as needed. Your goal here is to have the dough pick up all the flour on the sides of the bowl. Poke the dough with your finger, if it bounces and your finger is relatively clean, the dough is perfect. If it is really sticky, add small amounts of flour. If the dough is dry and there are still clumps of flour, add water SPARINGLY, a teaspoon at a time. You should be able to get 3 to 4 small rounds of dough.
Place dough on a hard surface sprinkled with flour. Because we are trying to make a cracker thin crust, you're going to want to use a rolling pin to flatten the dough out. You can transfer onto a pizza peel or baking sheet sprinkled with flour, or directly onto a piece of tinfoil. Once dough is flattened, add a very small amount of tomato sauce. Then add your toppings sparingly!
Place a baking sheet sized piece of tin foil into oven. Use a dough scraper to nudge the pizza onto the foil. (or if your pizza is already on tin foil, pop that baby into the oven!) Bake for 8 - 10 minutes, keep an eye on it because all ovens are different. When the edges start to brown a little bit, remove tinfoil so the bottom of your pizza gets a bit crispy!