Wholemeal beer crust homemade pizzas

Wholemeal pizzas topped with a) pesto, caramelized onion, pumpkin & goat's cheese and b) pesto, mushrooms, zucchini, sundried tomato and goat's chese

Maybe you are a lucky soul sitting in a gorgeous Italian piazza right now, watching elegant ladies strut past ancient fountains while you sip your chianti and scribble in your Moleskin. But if you’re reading this post, chances are you’re experiencing something a bit more mundane. Maybe you’re curled up on the couch with your laptop like me, or sitting at your desk pretending to work while actually reading blogs. Either way, really good pizza is not as accessible to us as it is to our fabulous piazza-sitting friend.

My solution for the no-Italian-pizza blues is to whip up this quick dough.  What I learned from my culinary adventures in Italy is that the best pizza is made of a simple base, stretched thin and covered minimally with high-quality toppings. I’ve one-upped the health factor of this recipe and used wholemeal flour, because it’s important to pack some nutrition in there. You can top this base however you like – lately I’ve been whipping up a simple pesto, caramelizing some onions, and dotting blobs of goats curd here and there.  Bellissimo.

Stuff:

  • 3 c. unbleached flour (preferably wholemeal)
  • 1 Tbsp baking powder
  • 1⁄2 tsp salt
  • 1 375 ml (12 oz.) can or bottle beer
  • oil for greasing
  • medium mixing bowl
  • 2 baking sheets
Messy Jess spreading homemade pesto on homemade pizza bases

Topping pizza bases with homemade pesto

Step-by-Step

  1. Preheat the oven to 230° C (450° F).
  2. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in mixing bowl and mix well.  Add beer and mix until fully combined. Dust a little flour on a clean work surface and place dough on it. Knead for just a minute or two until the dough comes together – it will still be somewhat sticky.
  3. Grease both baking sheets with a little oil. Divide dough in half and spread across baking sheets, stretching as thin as you can without tearing.
  4. Bake bases for 5 minutes, then remove from oven and top however you like.
  5. Return pizzas to oven and bake another 7 to 9 minutes. Check for doneness by gently lifting the base – when the bottom has begun to brown, the pizzas are done.