My friend stretched the crusts, his wife and my daughter applied the toppings, he partly baked each pizza. The oven was 500F and we have a stone. When all the pies were parbaked, he quickly "flashed" them, my daughter cut each as it emerged from the oven, and we ate. We used two peels and two pizza pans. The parbaked pies were flashed on the stone, the bare rack, or the oven floor. This is shiitake mushroom and brie cheese. We only used a little red sauce on the pizzas. There was some Alfredo sauce used. This is pear and arugula. The arugula was tossed in salt and a plum vinegar, then scattered on the just-cooked pizza. The fresher the arugula, the more acid needed, I'm told. This is, I don't recall exactly, cremini mushroom and onions? We are all from Berkeley, where a collective called "Cheeseboard" has been making thin crust, mostly sauceless pizza for over fifty years (gosh, were the sixties that long ago?) In the morning people line up outside the store for parcooked pies. A few nights ago, one of the Cheeseboard guys stayed with us. His daughter is a friend of my daughter, and they were in Portland looking at a college. Our pies were an homage to Cheeseboard. They use a sourdough crust, which we couldn't duplicate, and they use varied and unusual cheeses - they also sell cheese, hence the name - and we just had mozz and Brie. This post was edited by johnliu on Sun, Apr 6, 14 at 8:31

Pizza on a super thin crust, sometimes a tortilla, is a Bar Pizza or Bar Pie. Bar pizza is a type of pizza that is typically found in bars, pubs, and old-school restaurants mainly in New England and other parts of the Northeast. Unlike a traditional Neapolitan or New York-style pizza, a bar pie is usually small in size (typically 10 inches in diameter), and cooked in a pan. The crust is often cracker-like and many, if not most places that serve bar pizza use sauce out of a can. The cheese on top of a bar pie is often greasy and browned as it extends all the way to the edge of the crust. We make them all the time, quick and really good. I heat the tortilla in a hot, cast iron frying pan with some oil, then add sauce and cheese and seasonings, and put the whole thing into the oven to broil until the cheese is golden and bubbly. If I make a lot, I'll slide them onto a greased cookie sheet so I can broil two at a time. I also use naan, which is more sturdy. I follow the same procedure, heating it up in a cast iron pan before I add the toppings and broil it.

The recipe I based mine on is from Red Apple Guy on Food.com. It's a good recipe, and quite successful with commercial flour. I made it with King Arthur whole wheat (once, at least, with the Organic white whole wheat, and also with the regular red whole wheat). Both are regularized at 14% protein. My recipe starts with milling the flour (thanks, Grainlady). This makes a difference in the taste. It doesn't have the bitterness of the degrading oils that occurs after it's made into flour. A good alternative is if, like Ann T., you have a local artisan mill from which you can buy good fresh flour. The wheat I use has been tested for a general protein level of 14%. When I used the weaker, locally available wheat, it was too weak. Whole Wheat PizzaMill flour: ⢠204 grams hard white wheat ⢠135 grams hard red wheat Add to mixer bowl with: ⢠22 grams barley malt powder ⢠Pinch or scant 1/8th tsp ascorbic acid (vitamin C crystals) ⢠7 grams dry salt (any kind) (heaping tsp.) ⢠scant 2 grams active dry yeast (heaping 1/2 tsp.) ⢠241 grams water ⢠22 grams olive oil (I use EVOO for the flavor, and it seems to be well enough shielded by the dough not to go weird at the high heat) Mix with Danish dough whisk or flat wooden spoon and let rest for about five minutes. Knead with dough hook for about five minutes. Transfer dough ball to baking surface (silicone mat, lightly oiled is good), and cut into usable portions. This recipe makes one really big pizza, two medium, or four individual. An individual portion is about 152 grams. Spray sandwich ziplocs with oil and put each portion in one, or the whole thing in a larger bag. Put all the bags in a gallon bag. Chill (hydrate) for at least 24 hours. Remove dough from fridge and turn out onto oiled thin aluminum pizza pan when you preheat the oven with baking stone to 500ð F. Shape the dough into a round, using gravity, as usual, but don't overwork or use your knuckles--keep it from tearing. Let it rest for about half an hour. After it has relaxed a little, you can adjust the shape. Add toppings. Bake for 9 minutes, or whatever is appropriate for your oven. Notes: I use a thin pan because the wetness of the dough makes it not slide well. The pan works fine on the stone. Your oven and stone may be different--you may need to adjust the temperature and/or time. I haven't frozen this in balls since I perfected the recipe, but I don't know why it wouldn't work. Freeze immediately if you're going to freeze, and move to fridge a couple days ahead so it can thaw and the yeast can get to work. Freezing baked is a good idea. This dough is good for four days in the fridge. Day one is a little underdeveloped. Day two is ideal. Day three is a bit less so. Day four is flatter and crisper. After that, the...

I only buy organic, so haven't tried the fresh stuff they sell. I used to make my own crusts and prebake them - maybe 6"-8" diameter for ease of fitting in the freezer - but I haven't made my own in awhile now, since I can get the ones from TJ's. I've also made larger ones and prebaked as well, since we've come to prefer crisp to soft. I also sprinkle some of the shredded cheese over the crust before adding sauce or fresh tomatoes, and it seems to help keep the crust from getting too soggy. I used to make pita pizzas when our kids were young, since it was so convenient and easy to make in the toaster oven. A tip for a quick and satisfying cracker crust is Ak-Mak flatbread. It makes a good substitute for regular crusts, as long as your toppings aren't too wet. I put a bit of olive oil on them first. I used whole sheets and placed them side by side together on a parchment covered baking sheet.