I love roasted red pepper for its perfect blend of earthiness, slight bitterness, and sweetness. I’ve really only used it as a topping in the past, but I thought to myself, “Why not build it right into the very foundation of the pie? The fabric upon which everything else is built?” I had no answer, so here we are…Roasted Red Pepper Pizza Crust! We used this crust to make Spinach, Hummus, and Feta Pizza for the first iteration. However, I think it would also go extremely well with Chorizo, Corn, and Manchego or on a BBQ Chicken Pizza.
Time: 2 Hours (90 Minutes if using not roasting your own red pepper)
Ingredients:
- 2 Cups of All Purpose Flour
- 1 Red Pepper
- Warm Water (amount to be determined during method below)
- 2 Teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 Teaspoon of Salt (I like kosher or sea)
- 1 Teaspoon of Sugar
Method:
- Roast your red pepper (or use pre-roasted ones)
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F
- Slice your red pepper, wrap it in foil, and stash it in the oven for about 20-30 minutes.
- Put your roasted red pepper slices in a blender/food processor/Ninja, and puree. and pour into a measuring cup. Add water until you have about 1 cup of liquid.
- Let your red pepper liquid cool slightly, and pour it into your stand mixer bowl (or a regular bowl if you’re planning to do this without mechanical assistance), and add your yeast and sugar.
- Let sit for a few minutes until a little bit of foam forms at the top
- Mix your salt in with your flour, and combine that (working in two batches, one cup at a time) with your water using your dough hook attachment for about 8-10 minutes to develop the gluten (or knead by hand if you’re brave)
- When the dough is slightly tacky but not sticking to the stand mixer bowl, move it to a large (lightly spray oiled) bowl, and cover with plastic wrap.
- Let sit for an hour or so to rise
- When the rise is done, put your pizza stone or pan into the oven, and preheat your to 425 degrees F
- Knead a bit more, and either using a tossing method (which I am no good at, so don’t look to me for help on that), via sort of “hand stretching” it to the right shape, or a rolling pin, work the dough into your desired shape and thickness
- When the dough is ready, pull the stone/pan out of the oven, and sprinkle a little cornmeal down (to prevent any chance of sticking later)
- Place the dough on the stone, and apply your toppings. The closer to the edge you get, the less the crust edge will rise, so use that to adjust your crust to your preferences.
- When the dough reaches desired crispiness (about 20 minutes), pull out!
- Plate, Devour, and Enjoy (or wait for later)
