Rustic Flatbread Pizza

To make the Flatbread

1) To a large mixing bowl, add yeast, garlic, herbs, sea salt, sugar, and all-purpose flour. Whisk together to fully mix.

2) Make a well in the dry ingredients and add olive oil and 1/2 cup of the warm water, reserving the rest for later. Stir with a wooden spoon to mix. Add more water as needed until a dough forms.

3) Transfer to a clean, well-floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic – about 2 minutes – adding more flour as needed to prevent sticking. Alternatively, knead on medium low speed using the dough hook in your stand mixer for about 2 minutes.

4) Add 1 teaspoon of olive oil to clean bowl. Add dough and roll around until it is fully coated.  Cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap. Set in a warm place to rise for 1 hour. See note 1.

5) Once doubled in size, punch down and cut dough into 6 even pieces. Arrange on a clean surface, and lay a damp towel on top. Let rest at least 15 minutes.

6) While the dough is resting, heat a large skillet to medium-high heat.

7) One at a time on a lightly floured surface, roll each piece of dough into a large circle that’s about an 1/8th of an inch thick.

8) Lightly grease preheated skillet with olive oil and lay down flatbread. Allow to cook undisturbed for 2-3 minutes. Flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes on the other side. Repeat, adding more oil to coat surface, until all flatbread is cooked.

To make the Rustic Flatbread Pizza

1) Add pine nuts to a small skillet and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes while stirring constantly. You want them to turn golden brown. Take care not to burn. Remove from heat and set aside.

2) To assemble pizzas, cover each cooked flatbread with one tablespoon of pesto. Top with mozzarella, sun dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, toasted pine nuts, and salami. See note 2.

3) To bake the pizzas, preheat oven or grill to 400 degrees F. Set pizzas directly on grill and bake just until the cheese has melted, about 5-10 minutes. Remove, drizzle with balsamic reduction, and season with salt and pepper.

4) Serve hot with a chilled glass of KRIS Wines Pinot Grigio.

Notes

If your house is cold, there are a couple options to get your dough to rise properly. You can always preheat the oven to 200 degrees F, turn it off and crack the door. I’ve also heard of running the dryer for a few minutes, then setting your dough inside with the dryer off to allow it to rise. Quanities and ratios of toppings can be varied based on user preference. Amounts listed in recipe are how I made the pizzas, but feel free to adjust according to your taste.

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