Thin Crust Pizza

Thanks to cautery for reminding me to post this! (It's amazing where SFG chat topics can drift to....)

Adapted from Cook's Illustrated's recipe for Pizza Margherita.

This works best with a pizza stone and a peel (the large, wooden paddle used to transfer a pizza into and out of an oven.) If you don't have either, I suggest you double up two rimmed cookie sheets upside down and put them in your oven to heat up like a pizza stone. Without a peel, you may have to "alley-oop!" with the back of a third cookie sheet, and get creative about getting the pizza back out of the oven. Perforated pizza pans will NOT give you the same result, but can be used if you don't want to fuss with all that.

The recipe below calls for a food processor. You certainly don't have to have a food processor to make this, but you will need more experience with yeast breads.

Please read everything before you start. I've included some suggestions regarding timing and toppings.

Thin Crust Pizza
Yield: Two 12" pizza pies, enough for 1-2 meals for 2 adults
Skill level: With food processor: Beginner to Intermediate. Without: Intermediate

Ingredients

ts = American teaspoon

1-1/4 ts (one packet) instant yeast
1 cup warm water
1-3/4 cup unbleached All-Purpose flour (plus extra)
1 cup cake flour OR pastry flour-different results depending on choice; slightly softer with cake flour, more crispy with pastry flour
1-1/2 ts salt
2 ts granulated white sugar
cornmeal for the peel

Toppings, of course! More on this later.

Directions

Measure water into a small bowl (I usually use a 2-cup pyrex measure). Whisk in yeast along with a small pinch of sugar, and let sit for 5 minutes.

Fit your food processor with a chopping blade. To the processor's work bowl, add the flours, salt and sugar, and pulse to mix, about 5 quick pulses.

Switch the food processor to constant mode. Slowly drizzle in the water/yeast mix until you get a smooth, satiny, sticky ball. Add water or AP flour as needed to get a satiny ball that rolls around the processor. This does not take long.

Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface. Divide the ball in two, make into two smooth balls. Cover with oiled plastic wrap and let rise 1 hour.

After about 1/2 hour, Put pizza stone on oven rack. Make sure rack is low enough you can access it easily. Preheat oven to 500 deg Fahrenheit, giving it at least 30 minutes to heat up.

When rise time is over, work with one dough ball at a time. Don't work the second dough ball until the first one is cooked and done.

Press dough into an 8" circle. Then use your fingers to stretch the circle to about 12". Scatter cornmeal LIGHTLY on your peel and the pizza stone.

Put sauce ONLY on the dough. Bake 5 minutes or until the crust starts to brown. Pull out, top with cheese/toppings, and bake 4-5 minutes more until the cheese is melted.

Put on cutting board, drizzle with olive olive, basil, pinch salt. Slice and serve.

Repeat with second pie. Voila!

About toppings

Because this is a thin crust pizza, you don't want to overload it with a mile-high stack of heavy toppings. My favorite: Basil pesto for the sauce, goat cheese, prosciutto, and fried mushrooms. We also like a white pizza made with roasted garlic as the sauce, and mozzarella, sometimes adding meat. (And sometimes it's the happy basic tomato sauce and pepperoni!) In general this is a great pizza to clean up leftovers with, especially veggies. I make one for myself, one for my husband, and everyone is happy.

Lastly, if you have a large family and are using a food processor, this dough comes together fast enough that you could easily make a second batch of dough right after the first one. (I wouldn't try to double it.) I do advise leaving the rested dough alone until the previous pizza is cooked, though.

Thanks, Megan!

Always prefer thin crust pizzas compared to the thick ones. Thanks for the tips on making a 'homemade' pizza stone oven!

Sound delicious.. Thanks for sharing this recipe..

Hi Hilda, Welcome to the Forum from California! I see you have already introduced yourself. The Canadian group is active so you should have a nice time. Just to let you know, the Pizza thread is very old. You can see the year of a post if you go to your Profile, Select Preferences, and select a date/time option that shows the year.

Chiming in here;  Martha White's packaged dry pizza crust mix is THE BOMB!!!!!

You can make it however thick you like, I like thin, and it is wonderful without having to hassle with yeast for a pizza....

Highly recommended!  I loves me some pizza!  

@Scorpio Rising wrote:Chiming in here;  Martha White's packaged dry pizza crust mix is THE BOMB!!!!!

You can make it however thick you like, I like thin, and it is wonderful without having to hassle with yeast for a pizza....

Highly recommended!  I loves me some pizza!  

Does she have gluten free? I buy the pre-made frozen gf df Daiya and load it up with garden veggies before cooking. Best gf I've found so far but I'm open to suggestions.
CC

C

@CapeCoddess wrote:

@Scorpio Rising wrote:Chiming in here;  Martha White's packaged dry pizza crust mix is THE BOMB!!!!!

You can make it however thick you like, I like thin, and it is wonderful without having to hassle with yeast for a pizza....

Highly recommended!  I loves me some pizza!  

Does she have gluten free?  I buy the pre-made frozen gf df Daiya and load it up with garden veggies before cooking.  Best gf I've found so far but I'm open to suggestions.
CC

Not sure....the one I buy is gluten for sure.  But I live in a pretty small town, my Krogers might not carry it.  It is in a box like Jiffy corn muffin mix.  Or a bag.

I just go super simple.  I use the basic master boule recipe in Artisan bread in 5 minutes a day.   Stretch it out in a hand tossed thin crust and flop it on a piece of clay tile on the grill.  Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic salt and oregano or add sauce, cheese and toppings like a pizza.