THIN CRUST PIZZA

Last night I was in the mood for some homemade pizza…yummy…so I whipped up a batch of pizza dough using a recipe I’ve been sticking with for the past several years and…bon-appetite! This recipe is easy to prepare and doesn’t require any “rise” time. The original recipe is for a white crust, but as usual, I’m always making adjustments to make things a little healthier so I will post both versions. This recipe makes enough dough to make four 12 inch thin crust pizzas so I always make up four pizzas at a time, one to bake right away, one “low veggie” pizza I put in the fridge to bake the following day for my Daycare kids and two I wrap well and freeze to bake at a later date.

THIN CRUST PIZZA (original version)
1 heaping T. yeast
½ tsp. Sugar
¾ c. warm water (water that is too warm will kill the yeast…use the baby bottle test by pouring a few drops on your wrist)

Dissolve sugar in water then sprinkle yeast on top. Allow standing for 8 min.

In a large bowl combine:
5-¼ c. flour
1 tsp. Salt

Stir the yeast mixture and pour over the flour. Add extra 1-½ c. warm water. Mix well. Turn dough onto a floured surface and kneed for 2 min. Divide dough into three balls if you want three thicker crust pizza or into four balls if you want four thin crust pizzas. Press each ball into a greased 12-inch pizza pan and spread to the edges. Spread with sauce and your favorite toppings and cheese. Bake in an oven that has been preheated to 500 degrees. Bake for 8-12 min. The dough will be firm and crispy..


HEMP THIN CRUST PIZZA (My healthier version)
1 heaping T. yeast
½ tsp. Sugar
¾ c. warm water (water that is too warm will kill the yeast…use the baby bottle test by pouring a few drops on your wrist)

Dissolve sugar in water then sprinkle yeast on top. Allow to stand for 8 min.

In a large bowl combine:
4 c. whole wheat flour
½ c. white flour
¾ c. ground hemp seed (or you could use ground flax seed)
1 tsp. Salt

Stir the yeast mixture and pour over the flour. Add an extra 1 ½ c. warm water. Mix well. Turn dough onto a floured surface and kneed for 2 min. Divide dough into three balls if you want three thicker crust pizza or into four balls if you want four thin crust pizzas. Press each ball into a greased 12 inch pizza pan and spread to the edges. Spread with sauce and your favorite toppings and cheese. Bake in an oven that has been preheated to 500 degrees. Bake for 8-12 min. The dough will be firm and crispy..