Thin Crust Pizza Margherita

  I have been making my own pizza dough for a few years now using the same recipe that I used to make my very first batch of homemade dough. The dough recipe is really great, but yields a softer, thicker crust, but I really love that crispy, thin crust that you get at italian restaurants. I had planned to make pizza earlier this week and had no intention of making a thin crust pizza.  Last minute I decided I wanted to try and make a thin crust pizza and started to search for a good recipe on the internet. Most of the recipes I saw required making the dough 24-48 hours in advance which was not something I wanted to do, especially since I was making the pizza that night. I started to find some recipes that didn't require making the dough so far in advance and they were all so similar to my pizza dough recipe, they just used less yeast and didn't allow the dough to rise. So I decided to modify my pizza dough recipe by cutting the amount of yeast used in half and just allowing the dough to sit for a few minutes while I prepare a few of the toppings instead of rising for 1-2 hours. The dough recipe below can be used to make your favorite pizza, but I also included the steps for making my pizza margherita. This really is a simple recipe and I love how you don't have to let the dough rise! It turns a meal that I normally save for weekends into a weeknight meal because of how quick it can all come together. We will definitely be using this dough recipe from now on :)

Thin Crust Pizza Margherita

Dough:

2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon active yeast

3/4 cup warm water

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1 tablespoon garlic powder or other herb mixture (optional)

2 tablespoons corn meal

extra flour for dusting

Topping:

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

2-3 roma tomatoes, sliced thin

about 2 cups of shredded Mozzarella

2-3 tablespoons grated Parmesan

1/3 cup basil, chopped

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees

  For the dough, combine the warm water with the yeast and let sit for about 5 minute, or until yeast is dissolved. By hand or with a mixer, combine the flour, salt, and garlic powder. Add the yeast water and olive oil. Mix until mostly combined, but still a little crumbly and shaggy. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead the dough until the crumbly bits are mixed in and the dough can form a smooth ball. Dust with more flour while kneading the dough if needed. 

  Set the dough ball aside (I just placed mine back in the mixer bowl). For the topping, in a small skillet heat the olive oil over medium-low heat, then add the minced garlic. Simmer for 2-3 minutes, until fragrant. Remove from heat and set aside. Slice tomatoes, chop basil, and grate cheese. 

 Lightly dust a pizza stone (or baking sheet lined with parchment paper) with flour and the cornmeal. Start to work dough out a little into a pizza shape and then place on pizza stone and press dough out to desired shape. I used a rolling pin to help me achieve an even thickness while pressing the dough out, but pressed out the dough and crust by hand at the end. 

  Put the dough in the 500 degree oven for about 2-3 minutes, just until crust has a slight crisp to it, but very little color or browning. Take the pizza crust out and spread the olive oil garlic mixture evenly over the pizza. Top with the sliced tomatoes then place back in the oven for another 2-3 minutes. 

  Take the pizza out of the oven, top with basil, mozzarella and parmesan. Make sure to top with the basil and sprinkle the cheese over the basil, this helps prevent the basil from wilting too much in the oven and keeps it nice and moist. 

  Place the pizza back in the oven for about 6-8 more minutes, until crust is golden brown and cheese is slightly browned and bubbly. Let pizza cool about 5-10 minutes, then slice and serve. We served this with a salad and it was perfect. Enjoy :)