I’ve been doing pretty good lately with getting back to eating healthy, but I’m a firm believer you have to indulged sometimes to keep sane. I try to keep the bad stuff down to 20% of what I eat and the other 80% dedicated to the good stuff (and no, I don’t mean “diet” foods). That seems to work best for me because I don’t ever want to feel like I can’t have something I want. This recipe.. it’s certainly in that 20%! I was craving some homemade pizza and decided I wanted something garlicky and amazing when I found this crust. It’s everything I was looking for and more. It’s a thicker crust but it’s nice and crunchy, and the garlic and parmesan really do the trick.
As always, I strongly recommend using a pizza stone. If you don’t already have one you can find one cheap at your local big box retailer (under $20), it’s completely worth the investment. The recipe is for one pizza crust but can easily be doubled. If you want to do so, simply double all the ingredients and proceed as the directions say. After the dough rises, divide it into half then continue making the individual crusts. Just look at all that parmesaney, garlicky, buttery goodness. Mmmm Mmmm. Enjoy!
Garlic Parmesan Pizza Crust (Print Me)
Yield: 1 pizza crust (can easily be doubled to make 2)
Ingredients:
1 1/8 cups warm water (100-105 degrees)
3 tsp active dry yeast
1 1/2 Tbsp honey
1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
3 cups all-purpose flour (can sub white wheat for half of flour)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried basil
3 Tbsp unsalted butter or margarine
2 garlic cloves, pressed or very finely minced
1 Tbsp parmesan cheese
Directions:
In a large bowl, add the water, yeast, honey and olive oil. Mix with a spoon to combine, then let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes. Add in 2 1/2 flour, salt, garlic powder and dried basil, stirring with a spoon until the dough comes together but it still sticky. With your hands form the dough into a ball and work in the additional 1/2 cup flour (don’t use it all if not needed) in to the dough. Lightly flour a clean working surface and knead the dough for a few minutes. Place the dough in a large, lightly greased bowl and turn once to coat in oil. Cover bowl with greased plastic wrap, then cover with a towel and let rise in warm place for about 1 1/2 hours.
When dough is almost risen, preheat oven to 450º, if you are using a pizza stone put it in the oven to preheat also.
After the dough has risen, punch it down and place it back on the floured surface. Using a roll pin or your hands, form it into your desired size and shape. Place the towel back over the dough and let sit in the warm place for 10 minutes. While the dough is rising again, melt the butter and mix it with the garlic and parmesan.
When ready, brush or spoon the butter onto the crust, focusing on the edges. Reserve a small amount to brush on the edges after the pizza has cooked. Carefully remove your pizza stone from the oven and transfer the crust on to it (or place on pan if not using stone). Continue to make your pizza with the desired toppings. Bake the pizza until the crust and cheese are both golden, about 15-20 minutes. Immediately brush the outside edges with the remaining butter, and sprinkle a bit of parmesan over top if desired.
Source: How Sweet It Is
