Everyone knows that a firm foundation is the key to an excellent building.
The same can be said about pizzas. If you don’t have a good crust, it ruins the whole pie.
There are so many crusts to choose from so let’s take a look.
In the old days, pizza crust came pretty much only two ways: Deep dish or regular flat crust.
Then came the thin crust craze, followed by keto/low-carb, gluten-free, cauliflower crust and then back around to flavored (buttered & cheesy), and stuffed crust. Today, there are so many crust choices and some pizza enthusiasts switch their crust depending on the pizza they are making and toppings they are adding.
Which crust is your favorite? Do you have a recipe you would like to share? If so, please feel free to send it to us.
Are you ready to try something new?
The Standard Crust - The basic crust is made with flour, yeast, water, salt, and oil.
Pro Tip: Make sure you are using enough water in your dough. Regular home ovens take longer to cook the dough than a professional pizza oven, which can make them too dry if too little water is in the dough (that said, if you add too much water, the dough might be too wet and will stick to your pizza peel… it’s a fine line… what can I say, dough making isn’t easy).
Crust with Egg – Use the basic recipe, with the addition of egg. Just like in other baking recipes, adding whole egg helps with browning the crust. Using egg whites helps crisp up the crust.
The Gluten-Free Crust - Thankfully there are multiple gluten free flour options on the market today, though beware that gluten helps traditional dough to rise, and also contributes to the elasticity of the dough. Thus, removing gluten from the recipe changes the chemistry. Thankfully, there are specialty dough mixes that have the right proportion of whey protein, garbanzo bean flour, rice flour, and other ingredients that help mimic the effect of gluten during baking.
Pro tip: Do not knead gluten-free dough as it is very sticky. That said, do make sure to let your dough rest for at least one hour before pressing (not rolling) the dough. Gluten-free dough tends to be quite starchy, and starches take longer to absorb moisture, thus needing a bit longer resting time than a regular flour crust. Then use your well prepped Casa Al Forno pizza peel to move your pie in the oven. 
Low carb/keto-friendly crust: Speaking of starches, there are many options if you wish to make a lower-carb pizza crust. The grocery store carries many frozen cauliflower crusts, and other lower-carb options, but read labels, not all cauliflower recipes are actually low-carb. Other options often include almond flour, melted cheese and/or cream cheese, and egg (when you give up carbs, you often add in fats). You can find recipes with walnut flour. Other recipes call for coconut flour or sunflower seed flour, for those who have a nut allergy. If you want to make your own keto dough, check out this “low-carb pizza dough recipe”.
Vegan crust: Surprise! The standard pizza dough above is actually vegan, containing only flour, yeast, water, salt, and oil. (Yeast is not an animal, but a fungi. Although it is a living organism, it does not have a nervous system, similar to mushrooms. Yeast adds flavor, and also has healthy minerals, B vitamins, and amino acids that are good for your body.)
Stay tuned for a post about deep dish vs. thin crust techniques and tips.