Amazing Thin Crust Pizza
photo by Claire de Luna
- Ready In:
- 2hrs 10mins
- Ingredients:
- 22
- Yields:
-
2 medium pizzas
- Serves:
- 16
ingredients
-
DOUGH
- 2 cups bread flour, plus
- more bread flour, for dusting the work surface
- 1 teaspoon instant yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus
- more olive oil, for brushing the dough
- 1 cup warm water
-
PIZZA SAUCE
- 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 2 minced garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground fennel
- salt and pepper, to taste
-
ORDER OF INGREDIENTS
- 1 full recipe pizza dough
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoons dried basil (or 8-10 leaves minced fresh)
- 8 ounces mozzarella cheese, slices
- 8 ounces provolone cheese, slices
- 3⁄4 cup tomato sauce
- 1⁄2 cup sausage (precooked and browned in a skillet)
- 1⁄3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1⁄3 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese
directions
- DOUGH: In the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the plastic dough blade, pulse the flour, yeast, and salt to combine; about five 1-second pulses. With the machine running, slowly add the oil, then the water through the feed tube; continue to process until the dough forms a ball, about 15 seconds. Generously dust the work surface with flour. Using floured hands, transfer the dough to the work surface and knead lightly, shaping the dough into a ball. Lightly oil a 1-quart measuring cup with cooking spray, place the dough in the measuring cup and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Set aside in a draft free place until doubled in volume, 1 to 1 - 1/2 hours.
- PIZZA SAUCE: Mix this up while the dough is rising, giving the flavors some time to meld.
- Preheat the oven to 550 degrees F. This may take as long as 30 minutes, so allow enough time for the oven to get hot. Remove all racks except the one holding your baking stone, for easier positioning of pizza onto the stone.
- BUILDING: When the dough has doubled, grease hands with olive oil and remove it from the measuring cup, placing into the middle of a lightly floured board. (A silpat placed on the work surface makes cleaning up easier.) Being careful not to deflate all the air in the dough, roll dough into a ball and set aside. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, cut parchment paper and set aside. Do NOT cut parchment larger than your pizza stone, to mimimize risk of the paper catching fire.
- Oiling hands again, gently stretch the dough, shaping it into a large rectangle on the parchment paper. With palms, stretch and flatten the dough until it takes the shape you want it to have, keeping a slightly thicker edge for the crust. Dock the surface of the dough with your fingers to "texture" the surface and hold the toppings. Oil the dough before building the pizza.
- Place finely cut (or dried) basil across the top of the dough. Add Mozzarella and Provolone cheese slices on top of the basil. Spread a thin, even layer of the pizza sauce, adding pork sausage, shredded Mozzarella and mild cheddar over the top of the dough. (You can really use any toppings you'd like.).
- BAKING: Position the baking stone on the bottom rack of your electric oven, or on the floor of your gas oven. Lift the parchment paper and slide onto the bottom of a sheet pan, then quickly slide pizza onto the baking stone. Shut the oven door, and reset your oven for 500 degrees. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the edges of the crust are browned. Check the bottom of the pizza for doneness before removing from the oven. Using tongs, transfer pie onto oven rack and set aside to cool a few minutes. Cut with a pizza cutter and enjoy!
Reviews
-
I can't even begin to tell you what this recipe has meant to our household. We live near Washington DC, and yet there are no great pizza places within a 20 minute radius. Desperate for a hot, thin-crusted pie, I searched Recipezaar like Ponce de Leon and stumbled upon this one. We are now blessed to have Pizza Fridays, where the center stage is making this show stopper and not having to sit in traffic w/ a cold, pizzeria pizza. Thank you SO much for this lifesaver.<br/><br/>P.S. The fennel in the pizza sauce (which I could eat as a meal) is a truly phenomenal touch.
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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
Claire de Luna
United States
The new kitchen is finally functional, and I'm cruising Recipezaar daily to see what I make! This site is one of the best for finding great recipes in a flash. I've been saving recipes to My Cookbook for quite a while and am looking forward to trying some new things while I get used to my appliances. I hope to be posting new reviews soon.