Thin Crust Rustic Pizza

Here at the Diaz residence pizza is a staple.  Well, at least for my son and I.  My wife doesn't see our fascination with it.  When I was growing up, having pizza on a weekly basis was as common as Sunday meatloaf (which by the way, we didn't do).  This was my first attempt at making fresh pizza dough.  I am by no means a baker.  In fact, I really don't enjoy baking.  While I am a science junkie sometimes, the science and exactness of baking is something that I don't normally enjoy.  I mean, when you cook you have such free form to play with ingredients and techniques that you never really feel constrained.  In baking, if you usually don't follow the recipe exactly your efforts will more often than not fall short.  The bread won't rise, the cake will be dry, and in my case here, the dough won't be a pizza dough.  I didn't have any bread flour around, which by the way helps make for an elastic dough, which pizza likes.  So I had to go with good ol' fashioned all-purpose dough.  From this mistake, I still managed to make a pretty darn good pizza...but more like a cracker type pizza.  But we love thin, crunchy crust pizza so in the end, for once, my attempt at baking had a happy result.

For the Dough:

2 Cups All-purpose Flour

1/2 Cup Warm Water, About 115 Degrees

1/4 Cup Olive Oil

2 1/2 Tsp Yeast

2 Tsp Granulated Sugar

1 Tsp Kosher Salt

For the Toppings:

4 to 6 Slices Sopresetta or Salami

1/2 Red Onion, Peeled and Sliced Thin

1/2 Cup Basil Pesto, Fresh or Store Bought

4 oz Fresh Mozzarella, Sliced into 1/4" Rounds

2 oz Fresh Chevre, Crumbled

Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper to Taste

Fresh Basil Leaves

In a stand mixing bowl add some warm water and swirl it around.  Dump the water out and wipe the bowl clean.  Add the 1/2 cup warm water and yeast, stir till dissolved.  Allow to yeast to activate and froth, about 5 minutes (if the yeast doesn't froth, dump and start over).  Add olive oil and attach dough hook to machine, turn mixer to medium.  Pour in sugar, salt and flour.  Mix until dough comes together but not sticky, about 7 minutes.  If the dough it too sticky, simply add some more flour, about a tablespoon at a time.  Remove the dough and form into a nice ball.  Take a little olive oil and smear all over in a clean glass bowl.  Place dough in bowl and rub dough around to coat all over in oil.  Cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm spot to proof for about an hour.

When the dough doubles in size, remove wrap and punch down.  Now, the dough will be a bit more firm, cut into 1/3's and roll out into oval shapes, about 1/6" thick and about 6" wide and a foot long.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Spray a baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.  Place one of the pizza doughs on the baking dish and spread the basil pesto all over, leaving about a 1/2" space on the edges.  Top evenly with mozzarella and chevre.  Sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper to taste.  Then finish topping with remaining ingredients.  Place in oven and bake for about 10 to 12 minutes till dough is cooked through and lightly brown and crisp.  Top with fresh basil leaves and serve hot.