Ever made your own pizza crust?  I hadn’t until last night, and this recipe makes it is!  The simple dough doesn’t require time to rise so you can make a pizza in just over an hour.  For a change of pace I used sun-dried tomatoes, goat cheese and caramelized onions on top.

This recipe is vegetarian.  Makes pizza for 4 and takes 1 hour. 

Home-made Pizza Crust with Goat Cheese Topping

Ingredients:
For the crust:
2 1/2 cups unbleached white flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbs. melted butter or olive oil
3 cloves garlic, crushed (optional)
3/4 cups water
Cornmeal

For the topping:
1 8 oz. (or similar) jar sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, drained and sliced into strips
2 onions, diced
2 cups goat cheese
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
2 Tbs. honey
Salt & Pepper to taste

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 400° with your pizza stone (optional).  Place diced onions in a medium skillet over medium heat with butter, oil or bacon grease in the pan.  Allow them to cook, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes or until they are caramelized to your taste.  Set aside.

Put the balsamic vinegar and honey in small skillet over low heat.  Allow it to simmer until the balsamic reduces by about half, and has a thick texture.  Set aside.

For the crust: combine the flour, baking powder, and salt, mixing well.  Add the butter, garlic, and water and stir until it begins to form loose clumps.  Put the mixture on a cutting board or counter and knead with clean hands, until there are no more loose, dry pieces and the dough begins to stick together and form a ball.  Start rolling out the dough until it is thin enough for your liking (I rolled mine as large as I could to still fit it on my baking sheet!).  Sprinkle a baking sheet with cornmeal so the crust doesn’t stick, and transfer the rolled dough to the baking sheet.

Cover the pizza dough with tomato strips, caramelized onions, and goat cheese.  Lastly, pour balsamic reduction over the toppings and sprinkle with salt & pepper to taste.  Slide into the oven and bake for 25 minutes, or until the crust is golden and crispy.

Enjoy!

Eva works at MOM’s Central Office.