Homemade Pizza Night

I LOVE pizza! And really who doesn't. My absolute favorite in Jersey Shore Pizza, the Brooklyn style giant slices that are thin but with super thick crusts. Specifically, the Jersey shore because you can walk into any place and have the most amazing slice. Ahhhh summer, hopefully it gets here eventually, but until those blissful beach days, my close second is thin crust pizza. The crispy the better. Because, I am having so much trouble finding a decent pizza within delivery distance, I decided to try some DIY therapy, and because I was already trying, I decided to "health" it up. I have been on a flax kick lately, I love the nutty flavor and the added Omega-3s, so I tossed some into a whole wheat crust, and rolled it super thin, then topped it with quickie sauce, fresh mozzarella, and some chicken sausage. The dough was easy to work with and easy to make, I will definitely be making this again. The best part is new toppings equals a whole new dinner. So grab you favorite toppings, and lets get baking!

Wheat and Flax Crust:
2/3 cups of warm water, 105-115 degrees
1/2 packet of yeast, 1 1/8 tsp
3/4 cup of wheat flour
1 cup bread flour
2 tbsp of flax
2 tsp of olive oil
2 tsp of honey
1 tsp of salt

Dissolve yeast into warm water and let stand until foamy, about 5 minnutes. In a large bowl or a food processor mix flours and flax. Add in olive oil, honey, salt, and water-yeast mixture. If using a food processor: Blend everything with the dough blade attachment until everything is in a ball about 5 minutes, adding additional water or flour if necessary dough should be smooth and slightly tacky. If mixing by hand, stir with a wooden spoon until a wet dough forms, turn out onto a floured surface and knead, incorporating more water or flour if neccesary, until smooth and slightly tacky, 5-7 minutes. Put in an oiled bowl and cover until doubles in size, about 1 hr. Punch dough down and then remove from bowl, knead a few times and return to the bowl and recover, refridgerate overnight, for up to 2 days. Remove from the fridge about 30 minutes before desired baking time. Pre-heat the broiler to 500 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with tinfoil and place in the broiler. Let the cookie sheet broil for about 15 minutes after the oven is pre-heated. On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough as thin as possible, into a large rectangular shape (to fit the sheet). Remove pre-heated sheet from oven and brush lightly with olive oil or spray with non-stick spray. Place rolled out dough onto cookie sheet and stretch it into every corner, so that it is as close to the size of the sheet as possible. Top with your favortie sauces and toppings and bake until crust is browned and all cheeses have melted, 7 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.

I topped mine with a quickie pizza sauce (recipe below), 8 oz of garlic and herb chicken sausage (chopped), 1 small yellow onion (sliced), fresh mozzarella (about 4 oz, sliced into thin and small slices), and fresh grated parmesan. After cooking I shaved some additional parmesan on top and drizzled with a little truffle oil.

Quickie Pizza Sauce:
1 15 oz can of tomato sauce (plain)
1/2 8 oz can of tomato paste
4 cloves of garlic
1 tsp of dried oregano
1 tsp of dried basil
1/4 tsp of red pepper flakes
salt, pepper

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat, and add the tomato sauce and paste. Bring to a boil. Mince the garlic and add to sauce, and dried herbs and spices to taste. Cover and cook for 15 minutes, or until the oven is ready for the pizza.

Happy Eating.