Just Cheese for Me

I got a call from a pizza place yesterday. $3.99 for a one-topping pizza. Wow! For only $4 I could eat:

Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Niacin, Riboflavin, Folic Acid) Water, Vegetable Oil (Soybean), Sugar, Salt, Yeast, Vital Wheat Gluten, Less than 1% Dough Conditioners [Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Whey, Enzyme (with Wheat Starch), Ascorbic Acid, L-cysteine, and Silicon Dioxide added as processing aid], Corn Meal (used in preparation).

And that’s just the crust! Ew, no thanks.

But still, pizza…yum. What about a personal pizza with a soaked crust? Everybody makes their own, gets just what they want and with a little front-end prep I get an afternoon away from the kitchen! Honestly, why a pizzaria charges so much is beyond me when it’s so easy to make fresh, whole wheat, real food pizza!

Soaked Crust Pizza

Be sure to start this 24 hours before you plan to use it

Dough
1 teaspoon honey
1 cup warm water (about baby bathwater temperature)
1 tablespoon organic dry yeast (I like Rize)
1/2 cup buttermilk (or other cultured milk)
3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt

Proof the yeast by mixing together honey and water. Sprinkle yeast over the surface of the mixture and wait about 10 minutes. If the yeast mixture bubbles, it is active and ready for use. Add buttermilk, then mix in freshly ground flour a half cup at a time until the dough cleans the sides of the bowl. (You can use a bread machine or mixer for this step if you’d like.) Cover the bowl with a cloth and leave in a warm place overnight.

After rising, add the salt to the oil and allow it to dissolve a little before adding to the dough. Knead in thoroughly and divide into two large or eight small balls. Allow the balls to rise until they are doubled in bulk. (When you push your finger into the dough it doesn’t fill right back in.)

For mini pizzas, take a plate and coat the underside in olive oil. Press the dough onto the back of the plate until it’s about 1/4″ thick. (I hate rolling pins ever so much, but you may use a rolling pin instead if it works for you.) Brush the top of the crust with olive oil. This will be the bottom of the crust in the next step. Turn the crust over onto a cookie sheet that’s been sprinkled with cornmeal. Roll or fold over the edges if you desire.

Toppings

I use tomato paste that’s been thinned just a little with water or beef stock for sauce. Sometimes an unsweetened ketchup stands in. I don’t go to a lot of trouble with the sauce because the real star here is the cheese and toppings!

Top your pizzas with sauce and grated cheese and whatever toppings you like. Bake at 450° for about 15 minutes, but watch closely to avoid burning. Cut into wedges and enjoy!

Our favorite toppings include fresh pineapple, bell peppers, black olives, crumbled bacon and a blend of mozzarella and parmesan cheeses.

This post is part of Fight Back Fridays, hosted by Food Renegade.

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