Pizza and Flatbread Crust

Crust-like bread products are something that I tend to do on the fly. I’ve made them from recipes before but find it too much of a hassle to stick to a recipe for something so simple. Adjust this recipe to make more or less as needed, add herbs or seeds (soak seeds in warm water first so they don’t dry out!), use a different flour or oil, let it rise for more or less time, etc.

Pizza or Flatbread Crust (makes 3-4 servings)

1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. wheat gluten

~1/2 cup warm water

2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast (1 packet)

A pinch of salt

A dollop of agave nectar

A drizzle of olive oil

Mix the warm water and agave nectar together in a small bowl. Sprinkle the yeast on top, enough so that it entirely covers the surface of the water, and stir gently. Let this sit for a few minutes until the top is foamy and bubbly.

Mix the water and yeast into the dry ingredients and olive oil. If it is too dry, SLOWLY add more water – you would think that just adding more flour if it gets too wet would make it “okay” but this is not always the case. You want all the dough to just stick together. Knead with your hands for a few minutes, then put it back in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let it rise while you prepare whatever is going on top of the dough.

Preheat the oven to 350 F (if you want the dough chewy) or 425 F (if you want it crispy). Oil and flour your baking sheet, then roll out the dough to your desired thickness. Bake the crust for a few minutes alone before adding any toppings to it. That way, the top doesn’t get soggy.