Whole Wheat Tortillas (Thin Pizza Crust)

Okay people. I’m going to be really honest with you.

There is pretty much zero reason that you would ever need to make your own tortillas. I mean, with the one hundred thousand, three hundred and thirteen different kinds of tortillas out there, there is really no reason to ever NOT buy them.

UNLESS you are trying to make a very VERY thin pizza crust.

Which coincidentally, I happen to love.

So if you are like me, and you like a ridiculously good looking pizza crust, this recipe is where it is at.

You will need…

(makes 9 smaller tortillas or 2 larger pizza crusts)

½ cup all-purpose flour

2 cups whole wheat bread flour

½ cup shortening

2 teaspoons salt

1 ½ cups boiling water

Extra flour for rolling

Start by combining the all-purpose flour, the whole wheat flour and the salt.

Add the shortening to the mixture and use your hands to combine it well.

Then, make a well in the center of the mixture and pour in the boiling water.

Using a fork, combine the water and the flour mixture until the water is evenly incorporated.

Knead the dough until it no longer sticks to your fingers. Add extra all-purpose flour if necessary.

The dough should be smooth throughout.

Now I you have two options. If you are going to make tortillas, divide the dough and make golf ball sized balls of dough. About 2 ounces each. If you are going to make pizza, divide the dough into 2 separate balls.

Set all your balls aside, cover them with cloth and let them stand for at least 1 hour, or up to 8 hours.

If you are going to make tortillas, heat up a griddle or large frying pan and heat it over high heat. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each ball of dough to your desired thickness. I recommend 1/8^th to 1/16^th of an inch thick.

After rolling out the dough, add the tortilla to the griddle and cook for about 10 seconds, waiting for the dough to bubble. Flip the tortilla and let it cook for another 30 second. Flip it one last time and cook for a final 30 seconds. And serve hot.

If you are going to make a pizza, preheat your oven to 415 degrees F.

Roll out your 2 dough balls to 1/8^th to 1/16^th of an inch thick.

Top the dough with all your toppings and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela

Perfect Pizza Sauce

Three years ago, Mom, Dad and I took an awesome trip to Croatia to watch Josh play water polo.

There was a ton of amazing food in the small seaside city we were staying in (city is a loose term). But almost every day, we found ourselves at a small Italian restaurant about two hundred yards from our hotel. They had phenomenal salads and pastas, but the thing that really stuck with me was their pizza. More specifically, their pizza sauce.

It was perfect, and I’ve been trying to copy it since then.

And I think I’ve gotten pretty darn close with this stellar recipe.

You will need…

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

6 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

1 tablespoon dried oregano leaves

1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon salt

½ tablespoon fresh ground black pepper

Start by heating a large sauté pan over medium heat.

Add the olive oil, minced garlic, thyme and oregano. Cook until the garlic is fragrant, being careful not to burn the garlic.

Then, add in the crushed tomatoes and add in the salt, pepper and sugar.

Lower the heat to a simmer and cook for about 12 minutes so that the sauce reduces and the flavor can concentrate.

Remove from the heat and use on our pizza or save for up to a week for later use.

This also makes an amazing pasta sauce!

Love and Beer Floats

Angela

Perfect Pizza Sauce

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

5 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

½ tablespoon dried oregano leaves

1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon salt

½ tablespoon fresh ground black pepper

Start by heating a large sauté pan over medium heat.

Add the olive oil, minced garlic, thyme and oregano. Cook until the garlic is fragrant, being careful not to burn the garlic.

Then, add in the crushed tomatoes and add in the salt, pepper and sugar.

Lower the heat to a simmer and cook for about 12 minutes so that the sauce reduces and the flavor can concentrate.

Remove from the heat and use on our pizza or save for up to a week for later use. 

Toast!

What do you do when you have nothing in your kitchen? Duh... you make pizza toast!

Eric is notorious for having absolutely nothing in he fridge. When I visit his place I literally have to scour the kitchen for the smallest crumbs to snack on. It seems that instead of going to the store when I'm not around to make a feast, he has opted for the pizza toast. And I can not tell a lie... it was pretty good. He saved me a piece to prove it.

Pizza Toast

slice of your favorite bread (or whatever you have in the pantry)

trader joe's sundried tomato pesto (or any other tomato like sauce)

random meat from the fridge sliced (in this case some sort of salami)

whatever cheese you have on hand

place your "pizzas" on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees until cheese is melted... ENJOY!

Love and Beer Floats

Angela