The customization of pizza crust has undoubtedly been one of the biggest innovations in the (pizza) industry. The crust you choose to make helps to dictate taste, texture, thickness and your selection of toppings.
Pizza has taken on many different forms since its original inception — especially when it comes to the crust. For example:
Thin Crust is characterized by its light, slightly crispy texture. This is the perfect crust for those who want an authentic Italian pizza.
Thick Crust is characterized by its buttery, pan fried taste and texture on the outside, with a soft chewy center.
Flatbread Crust – health conscious people feel less guilty about eating this pizza because it isn’t as filling as other crust types.
Focaccia is a thick, ‘bready’ dough infused with herbs and brushed with olive oil before baking, then covered with cheeses, herbs and spices and minimal toppings.
Wood Fired Crust – it’s characteristics are defined by their deep, smoky taste derived from using real wood to heat the baking oven.
There are endless ways you can create a custom crust for your pizza. Such as using pita bread, English muffins, rice cakes, tortillas, potato slices or chips. I experimented with making a yeast crust with mashed potatoes and sour cream in it. Without trying to sound boastful, it was probably the best pizza crust I had ever made to date. I think I nailed it!
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- 170 grams ( 2/3 cup ) potato, cooked, mashed & cooled
- 1/2 cup lukewarm water
- 2 1/4 tsp ( 1 pkg ) active dry yeast
- 1 Tbsp butter, softened
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 3 cups flour
- 1 tsp garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp butter,
- 1 Tbsp flour
- 1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard, old fashioned, grainy
- 1/4 tsp dried thyme, crushed
- 1/2 cup vegetable or chicken broth
- 1 large red bell pepper, seeded & sliced
- 1 large ( 100 gm) white onion, thinly sliced
- 340 grams Asiago/red pepper pork or chicken sausage meat, scramble-fried
- 1/2 cup black olives, sliced
- 220 grams cheese combo - mozza, cheddar, parmesan - your choice
Ingredients
Potato Pizza Dough
Dijon Mustard Sauce
Pizza Fillings
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- Prepare mashed potato. In a dish, combine yeast with lukewarm water; whisk until yeast is dissolved. Let stand about 3 minutes until foamy. In a large bowl, combine butter, salt, sour cream & mashed potato; mix well. Add yeast mixture & stir again.
- Stir in flour, 1 cup at a time. When dough is completely blended, turn onto lightly floured surface. Knead dough about 10 minutes, until smooth & elastic. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with a tea towel & allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- In a small saucepan, saute garlic in butter until tender but not brown. Stir in flour, mustard & crushed thyme. Season with salt & pepper; add broth & cook, stirring until thick & bubbly. Continue to cook 1 more minute the remove from heat & set aside to cool.
- In a skillet, saute red pepper & onion until soft; remove to a dish. In the same skillet, scramble fry sausage meat until cooked; drain on paper towel, set aside. Drain, sliced olives & grate cheese.
- Preheat oven to 375 F. Remove risen dough from bowl turning onto a large sheet of parchment paper. Press or roll dough into a 16-inch circle. Using some of the grated cheese, make a ring around the outer edge, & fold over to make a 'stuffed crust'.
- Carefully spread mustard sauce over bottom of pizza, then sprinkle with another portion of grated cheese mixture. Layer with red peppers, onions, sausage meat & olives. Top with remaining cheese.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until crust is golden. Remove from oven & slice.
