Thin Crust Pesto Sausage Pizza

I searched and searched for a good thin crust pizza recipe. I finally found my EUREKA! moment-I made it myself! This thin crust pizza is baked on a stone in the oven with a pesto sauce instead of a tomato sauce and is so delicious. There is lots of elitism in the use of stones for pizza among the guys that cook. I got a inexpensive one from Oneida for $15 at Bed, Bath and Beyond and it works well for the occasional pizza, cookies and bread. I also made the sausage to top it with. Come with me for a really good pizza….

Thin Crust Pizza

Place the oven rack on the lowest setting. Preheat stone to 450 for at least 15 minutes before cooking crust. An oven thermometer works well here, I don’t know what I would do without mine.

1 1/2-1 3/4 C King Arthur Bread flour (hard spring wheat flour that is not bleached or bromated)
3/4-1 tsp sea salt
Mix well.
1/2 C water at 110-120 degrees
2 tsp yeast
Mix together and let sit until foaming.

Add 1 T olive oil and the yeast mixture to the flour and salt. Mix and knead until elastic, about 5 minutes. Oil a bowl with 1 T olive oil and place the dough in it and turn to oil both sides. Let sit covered in a warm place until doubled (about 1 hour). Turn out on a floured board, sprinkle dough with extra flour and roll out until you have a good thin rectangle about 1/8″ thick and 8″X11″, turn up a good lip on all sides. Place on a piece of aluminium foil that has been sprinkled with some white corn meal. Prick the surface lightly with a fork to create a flat surface. Place on well heated stone and cook for 5-7 minutes until slightly browned. Remove and top with the goodies below and cook another 5 or so minutes until golden brown and bubbly. Add cheese, turn down the temp to 350, and melt.

Toppings:
basil pesto-it was a bottled concoction from Costco-it is good- it has pine nuts, garlic, parmesan and olive oil, etc, etc…
sausage or you could use a nice dry sausage thinly sliced or a pepperoni thinly sliced or don’t use a meat and add more veggies
mushrooms, sliced
peppers either hot or bell or some of both, chopped
onions, chopped or in thinly sliced rings
fresh or sun dried tomatoes or both which I like
herbs-either fresh or dried to your taste-I used fresh oregano, basil, rosemary (you could use dried)
add some sprinkles of powdered garlic, sea salt and freshly ground pepper
These all need to be precooked (except the fresh tomatoes or dry sausage or pepperoni) in a skillet in olive oil until slightly tender, then put on the pizza. I put the pesto on the bottom and the cheese on the top.

Be creative and have fun! This is a lovely thin crust that crunches when you bite into it, but it is not too crumbly.