Thursday, November 8, 2012

Quick & Easy Food Processor Pizza Dough

Here is a quick and easy recipe for no-rise pizza dough that can be made in the food processor.  It makes enough for one large pizza or four individual pizzas.  I also used it to make calzones (each batch makes 4 large or 6 medium calzones).  This is not a fluffy thick crust kind of dough, especially when made with whole wheat flour.  But it has good flavor, is easy to work with for calzones, and whips up quickly with ingredients you probably already have on hand.  Perfect for all of your spur of the moment pizza needs.

Food Processor Pizza Dough



Ingredients:
- 2 c. flour**
- 1 pkg rapid rise yeast
- 1/2 t. sugar
- 1 t. salt
- 1 t. Italian seasoning
- 1/2 t. dried rosemary
- 3/4 c. water
- 1 t. olive oil
**I tried it with 2 c. whole wheat flour and again with 1 c. whole wheat, 1 c. white flour.  I liked it better half 'n half because the all whole wheat crust came out a little too dense.  I have some buckwheat flour I've been anxious to try, so I may give that a shot, too!



Directions:

1.  Place flour, sugar, salt, yeast, and spices in food processor and pulse several times until combined.









at about this point, Peanut woke up from her nap
and stole my tablespoon


2.  Heat water and oil on the stove or in the microwave until hot but not boiling.  Turn the food processor on and slowly add the water and oil.

water will just begin to steam
do not let it boil



3.  Process until dough forms a ball, then for 1 minute longer to knead.  Add a couple more tablespoons of water if dough seems too dry.



and I never got it back...


4.  Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, then cover in plastic wrap and let sit 10-15 minutes.  Dough will rise slightly.  Use immediately or wrap dough in plastic and freeze in a ziplock bag for later use.


difference between the all whole wheat (left)
and half whole wheat crusts (right)


5.  As I mentioned, I used one of the crusts to make calzones and froze the whole wheat one.   I thawed it in the fridge over night and used it for a buffalo chicken pizza the next day (similar to this pita pizza recipe).   Remove crust from fridge and allow to warm to room temperature (to make it easier to roll out).  Preheat oven to 400 degrees (place pizza stone in the oven while preheating so it's good and warm - this allows for a crisper crust).  Place dough on lightly floured surface.



6.  Roll dough to desired thickness (I like this dough best as a thin crust - it actually tastes similar to the pita pizzas we make).  This one was almost exactly the same size as our pizza stone and it was pretty thin.  

for whatever reason, I usually start with this rolling pin...

then switch to this one towards the end

 7.  Place dough on lightly floured pizza peel if using a stone, or directly on the pizza pan.


8.  Cover with ranch and/or bleu cheese dressing (we do half/half).  Top with diced or shredded chicken, red onion, and low-fat shredded cheese.





9.  Drizzle with buffalo sauce (Michael's half gets a little more than mine!).  Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes until crust is crispy and cheese is slightly browned.



10.  Slice and enjoy!




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