The Secret to a Perfect Pizza Crust

Homemade pizza is my go-to “lazy dinner” food.  It’s what I make when I have unexpected dinner guests or when I feel like not having to put too much thought into a meal.  But don’t be insulted if I serve it to you: it’s also one of my very favorite things to create!

My favorite thing about homemade pizza, is that my options truly are endless.  You can use leftovers or the extra ingredients from meals you made the week before to make some pretty awesome creations.  All you really need is a good crust.  I used to use Trader Joe’s pre-made dough which is great, but doesn’t last very long in the fridge.  This kind of defeats the beauty of homemade pizza: the ability to make it on a whim.  Plus, it’s ridiculously easy to do.  At first I found that my homemade dough could be a little stickier, making it more difficult to roll out evenly.  Then I discovered this little secret to a perfectly round sturdy crust:

That’s right.  Ground flaxseed meal.  Add 1/4 cup of it to your favorite dough recipe, and VOILA!  You have dough that you can be rolled out much thinner and that can be easily shaped into a perfect pie, round or square.  There are infinite recipes for pizza dough, but these are my two go-to favorites:

Garlicky Pizza Dough

• 1 TBSP (or one .25 oz package) active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 TSP salt
• 1/4 cup ground flax seed
• 3 cloves garlic

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
3. In a large bowl combine flour, flax seed and salt. Make a well in the middle and add garlic and yeast mixture. Stir well to combine. Cover and set in a warm place to rise for 10-15 minutes.
4. Roll dough out and shape on a greased pan or floured pizza stone
5. Bake crust for 5 -8 minutes.  Remove and add your favorite toppings!  Return to oven and bake for another 5-8 minutes, or until desired crispness is achieved.   (Cooking the crust first without toppings allows it to become crispy and prevents the sauce from creating a soggy crust).

Honey Wheat Dough

• 1 TBSP (or one .25 oz package) active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water
• 2 cups wheat flour
• 1 TSP salt
• 1/4 cup ground flax seed
• 1 TBSP honey

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
3. In a large bowl combine flour, flax seed and salt. Make a well in the middle and add honey and yeast mixture. Stir well to combine. Cover and set in a warm place to rise for 10-15 minutes.
4. Roll dough out and shape on a greased pan or floured pizza stone
5. Bake crust for 5 -8 minutes.  Remove and add your favorite toppings!  Return to oven and bake for another 5-8 minutes, or until desired crispness is achieved.   (Cooking the crust first without toppings allows it to become crispy and prevents the sauce from creating a soggy crust).

Johanna