The Best Pizza Crust…topped with Spinach, Mushroom and a Garlic and Herb Oil

I love making homemade pizza, but until I got my hands on this pizza dough recipe from The Bread Bakers Apprentice by Peter Reinhart, my crusts always came out okay, but nothing near the golden, super thin, crisp, crusts that I adore in a pizza. If you are looking for a thin Napoletana (or Neapolitan) style pizza crust, look no further. The Bread Bakers Apprentice is also full of recipes, techniques, and formulas for beginning and experienced bread bakers alike–one of the best investments and resources for bread baking enthusiasts out there.

The first time I discovered this crust was through a Daring Bakers Challenge I participated in over a year ago. The crust got me so excited that I have continued to make my pizzas with it ever since. It is a simple recipe, but one that requires a bit of planning as the dough needs to be refrigerated overnight–and this resting time is the key step to acheiving that thin crisp texture. This recipe also uses the hand tossing method as opposed to rolling the dough out. But, before you get turned off by the idea of hand spinning pizza dough, read on a bit more. This method is not as crazy and difficult as one might think. The recipe provides detailed instructions on how to delicately handle the dough and stretch it properly without tearing it. Yes, it’s tricky to keep the dough from tearing because it is so thin, but truthfully, I don’t think I actually ever “tossed” the dough in the air. It was more of just a slight “bounce” on my fists. Anyhow, I still managed to get a great crisp golden crust .

I like my pizza toppings to be simple and light. I decided on a garlic and herb based oil (above) for the sauce which I topped with some mozarrella, fresh spinach and a handful of thinly sliced mushrooms. I baked my pizza on an oven heated stone with a very generous layer of breadcrumbs at 450 degrees. I like the flavor of the breadcrumbs but you can use the traditional cornmeal or semolina as well. Make sure to be generous with whatever you choose to line the stone with, otherwise the dough will stick and that will take all the fun out of your pizza making experience. Once the pizza was done, I added a little more fresh torn spinach and basil before serving.

So, next time you are planning a pizza night for the family or staying in with some movies, I suggest you give this recipe a go. Just remember to plan accordingly as the dough needs to rest overnight in the fridge.

The recipe for Peter Reinhardt’s pizza dough can be found here. This recipes makes 6 small or 4 large pizzas.

Here is my recipe for the garlic and herb oil:

Garlic and Herb Olive Oil

1/4 cup olive oil

4 cloves of garlic

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp fresh cracked pepper

1/4 tsp red chili pepper flakes

1/2 tsp fresh rosemary

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dried basil

Combine ingredients in a food processor and blend.

Tagged as: basil, garlic and herb oil for pizza, mushroom, Napoletana pizza, olive oil, pizza, spinach, thin crisp pizza crust, thin crust pizza