How do I make crispy, thin crust?

[Todd Kuhns]

I love a deep dish pizza. My wife, however, loves the thin, crispy crust -- basically like a cracker. In the interest of pizza peace, I'm trying to make a cracker-like crust, but it never turns out right.

I've tried a couple recipes online that said they would yield a crisp crust, and I roll out the dough SUPER-thin with a roller. I even pre-bake the crust for 10 minutes, and it seems crusty enough, but not BRITTLE. After adding sauce, cheese and baking the pizza for 20 minutes on high heat, all we get is a thin (but very chewy) crust.

What's the secret to this?

By the way, we currently live in Japan, where ovens are uncommon and very small. I have to bake in a small pan. Pizza stones are unheard of over here, so I have no access to one.

[Steve]

Here is a soda cracker (saltine cracker) recipe. It sounds like this is the type of crust you want, so you might be able to adapt it to pizza making. Let us know how it turns out.

Soda Cracker Recipe
By Tom Lehman (AIB)

Sponge:

• Cracker flour 70%
• Yeast (compressed) 0.25%
• Water 42% (based on weight of sponge flour)

Dough:

• Cracker flour 30%
• Shortening 10%
• Malt syrup 1.5%
• Salt 1.5%
• Baking soda 0.65%

Directions:
Mix sponge just until ingredients are incorporated, then ferment at room temp. for 18 hours. Mix fermented sponge with the dough ingredients, and ferment 4 to 5 hours at room temperature. Sheet the dough and laminate as needed.dock the dough sheet and die cut to desired size/shape. Take directly to the oven for baking at 500 to 600F for 3 to 4 minutes.

[buzz]

You can buy mini pizza stones (for toaster ovens)--I believe The Baker's Catalogue sells one. Or just use unglazed tiles. Make sure you pre-heat the stone or tiles (at least half an hour).
Or try a thin sheet pan and pre-heat it.
You can try using a minimum of fat in the dough (which is what my local pizzeria does)--maybe a teaspoon for 3 cups of flour. Roll it out very, very thin (Steve says to let it rise in the refrigerator and then roll it out cold). Don't sog it down with lots of sauce or anything wet.
According to my local pizzeria, it's the metal floor of their oven (450 degrees) which makes it so crispy and cracker-like--so the stone should help.

[DKM]

I've tried a couple recipes online that said they would yield a crisp crust, and I roll out the dough SUPER-thin with a roller.

Make sure you don't roll it too thin.  If you do it can't support the toppings and turns chewy.  Also I have found if you let it sit for about 15 minutes after rolling it out and setting in the pan allows it to proof slightly and can crisp it.

DKM

[YoMomma]

Where do you get cracker flour?

[Michelle]

Here is my own thin crust pizza recipe:

1 C. Warm Water
1 Package yeast
3.5 to 4 C. All Purpose Flour
1 t. salt
1.5 t. honey
2 T. oil

This dough takes awhile to incorporate all the flour - let the mixer do the work and it WILL happen.  The resultant dough should be fairly dense and slightly dry - if it's very elastic and easy to stretch and pull, add more flour!

I follow all the techniques used with this site's thin crust recipe (incidentally, that's how I knew this site was legit ).

Bake in a 500 degree oven on a stone.  

Roll the dough, dock it and  pre-bake on a stone for about 3 minutes.  Remove from the oven, brush with olive oil and top as desired.  Bake for about 5 more minutes.

KEY***************
If the dough proofs overnight, it will be somewhat similar to the thin crust on this site, except crispier and flakier - less chewy (AP vs. High Gluten).

If the dough is used fresh, it will be crispier and thinner - more cracker-like.

As always, I would love to know results from any who try it.

[DKM]

I will try it this weekend.

Have you posted a sauce recipe?

DKM

[Randy]

Michelle I was going to try your thin crust but I am a bit confused.  Are you saying that you like your thin crust recipe better without an overnight rise?

Randy

[Michelle]

Sorry for the confusion:  My guests preferred the pizza with an overnight rise.  The fresh dough was very similar taste-wise, but it was crispier.  Really, it depends on your tastes.  Fresh = Crispier in this case.

I don't have a recipe for a sauce, I just kind of wing it whenever I need it - pretty standard though: canned tomatoes, salt, pepper, touch of sugar and herbs.  I also took (DKM's) suggestion of crushed red pepper right to the sauce and I  really like that one.