How to make healthy rustic pizza

Two reasons why you should read this post: How to make healthy rustic pizza

1. If you think pizza making  in your home kitchen is next to impossible – It is NOT !

2. There is nothing like healthy + delicious pizza. YES, there is !

This recipe here will make you think again. Learn how to make healthy rustic pizza. The recipe is very simple with no frills attached, and the rustic look makes it a very interesting serve.

I had the pleasure of conducting a workshop at the Siemens home appliances showroom. It was an intimate gathering of people interested in the high quality range of Siemens high quality appliances. It was a fun workshop which had me making seven dished on three live counters and the star of the day was my rustic pizza.

Experience the true flavor and texture of a fantastic pizza which is far better and healthier than the pizza bought from the pizza outlets next to your home. Imagine piping hot pizza with wonderful crust and hot healthy toppings combined with that fresh-baked pizza aroma in your home. I am in so much love with that aroma!

The golden rule of making great pizza is the fresh dough; say NO to that ready to use pizza base. Actually there are few points I would like to mention before we start with the recipe:

1. As said earlier, fresh dough will make great pizza, The pizza dough is more like a bread dough but with lot less work.

For the flour, yeast, sugar and salt perfect balance and to know how these work together click on the link here Bread Basics. This will help you create better dough.

2. While making the dough, you can use half whole wheat flour and half maida. Another idea is to add some flax seeds into the dough. This will add lot more flavor and health benefits to the pizza crust.

3. Dust some corn meal flour. The main reason you sprinkle cornmeal onto the bottom of your pizza pan is so that the pizza won’t stick to the bottom of the pan. It gives the pizza crust a little flavor and crispy texture as well. You could just use regular flour to dust the pan or parchment paper will do the job as well, but you’ll lose the flavor cornmeal provides.

4. Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough. You can stretch the dough by hand; both work and take nearly zero skill! I decided to go for free shaped pizza-  go ahead and shape the way  you want; absolutely enjoy the process and call it rustic pizza.

For the crispy Thin Crust: flatten the pizza dough as much as possible for a light, crispy base that has little crust.

For a Chewy Thin Crust: make the pizza dough moderately thin for a base that’s thin but supple and has some crust.

And for a Thick Crust: keep the pizza dough quite thick for a soft, doughy bite with a large, pillowy crust.

5. The rustic pizza became more healthy when I switched the regular tomato and cheese spread with spinach,  baby corn, cherry tomato and a very little cheese. You can completely avoid the cheese part, the pizza will still be drool worthy.

6. Pre-heating the oven is an important step to making amazing pizza. While most people pre-heat their oven for 10-20 minutes and think they’re good to go, you should actually pre-heat your oven for at least 30 minutes before putting in the first pizza.

7. A good pizza has just the right amount of toppings, don’t over fill the top. (Less is more)