Thin, Herbed Whole Wheat Pizza Crust

I was at my Child Development course last week and as the prof was discussing the uniqueness of each child's development within the context of universal trends, cultural experience and individual growth, she announced, "We are all pizzas!" Mmm pizza. Wait, what? Prof explained we're all pizzas because we all start with the same base but develop differently as we design our own toppings... and something deep and adorable about pizzas except all I could think about at this point was making and eating pizza. 

But like she said, we all start with the same base. So here's my recipe for pizza crust, and the rest, I'll leave up to you. Get creative! We typically make a meat-lovers and I like to add thinly sliced zucchini and spinach to the mix. I tried something different for my parents a few weeks ago, which turned out pretty delish... smoked oysters, mushroom and avocado. When it comes to cheese, you really can't go wrong, whether it's cheddar, mozza, jack, or whatever's in the fridge, just use lots of it. Try BBQ sauce instead of pizza sauce. Add personality!! (I always translate personality to an excessive dose of spices and herbs). Have fun! 

Oh, and my pizzas aren't round... My round, pizza-shaped baking pan seems smaller... and we're hungry people, so this recipe fits the next largest pan in the house which happens to be a 15.25 x 10.25 x 0.75 inch baking sheet. 

Smoked oyster, mushroom, avocado & cheese please.

Yield: 1 large pizza crust (fit to a 15.25 x 10.25 x 0.75 inch baking sheet)

• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour 
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic salt (or regular salt)
• 1/2 tsp ground pepper
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano*
• 1/2 tsp dried parsley*
• 1/2 tsp dried basil*
• 1/2 tsp dried cilantro*
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/2 tbsp skim milk

* Crush the herbs between your fingers. This helps release volatile oils and increase the herb's flavor.

Preheat the oven to 410.

Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the remaining ingredients (water, olive oil & skim milk). Fold in with a rubber spatula until everything is combined (all dry ingredients moistened). 

Meat lovers version with ham, pastrami, turkey pepperoni & mozza

Turn over into baking sheet. You can use a rolling pin here, but I don't enjoy dough sticking to the rolling pin, so wash your hands all clean before getting them dirty in the next couple minutes! I smoosh the dough flat with my palms at the center of the pan, and work the dough outwards with my palms until it is more or less evenly spread out and covers the entire pan. 

Bake crust for 10min. Remove from oven and let cool before adding sauce and toppings of your choice. Once you've designed your pie, bake at 425 for 12-14min. Let cool before slicing and serving. 

{  Remember, this is a thin crust recipe, so it won't seem like there's enough dough, but trust me, there is!! Sure, my smooshing method doesn't produce uniformity in pizza crust thickness, but it really won't affect the taste of your pizza and won't be noticeable after you load it up with toppings. Call it rustic if that feels trendier :) }