Cornmeal Pizza Crust

We probably make Pizza once a week. It's a easy dinner that will be a hit with the whole family, but we don't limit ourselves to just the traditional pie. We have a sourdough bbq pizza in our rotation, leftover corned beef and cabbage, roasted butternut squash and pecans with blue cheese, whatever we have leftover we've made into pizza. Recently someone mentioned taco pizza and while it sounded good I wanted to try a different sort of crust. This crust has a cornbread flavor with a slight crunch that makes it perfect for taco pizza, it would probably be good with BBQ or leftover chili as well.

Ingredients:

1/4 C Unsalted Butter

1 1/2 C Whole Milk

4 1/2 Tsp Active Dry Yeast

1 1/2 C Medium Grind Cornmeal

2 1/2 C Unbleached Flour, plus more for kneading *

2 Tbs Evaperated Cane Sugar

2 1/2 tsp Wheat Gluten

1 tsp Sea Salt

*(You could use Bread Flour instead and drop the extra gluten)

In a small saucepan melt butter, when melted add milk til warm but not hot. While butter is melting combine yeast, cornmeal, flour, sugar, gluten and salt in a large bowl. (I use gluten in this recipe because I am replacing a significant amount of flour with cornmeal. Cornmeal does not contain gluten and without the added gluten the crust would not rise correctly or hold together.) Once butter and milk are warm, mix into flour and stir until it forms a loose ball. Sprinkle a little flour onto counter, turn dough ball out onto counter. Knead dough adding flour as needed until dough is slightly tacky and elastic.

Place dough into lightly oil bowl, cover with a clean towel and place in a warm spot until dough has doubled in volume, about an hour to an hour and a half. 

(Before rise)

(After Rise)

Divide dough in half, roll out half of the dough and place on a pizza pan. 

Place other half of dough in plastic bag and store in refrigerator for up to 10 days (it may turn dark by 10 days but if it smells fine it's all good). Preheat oven to 400 degrees, top with desired toppings and bake for 15-20 minutes.