Zucchini Pizza Crust
Why settle for plain old pizza crust, when you can have a delicious zucchini bread crust instead? It's hidden nutrition for ninja parenting!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 zucchini large
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 1 cup zucchini juice and/or water
- 2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp sugar
Instructions
- Shred zucchini and place in a colander over a bowl. Add sea salt to the zucchini and squeeze out as much liquid as you can into the bowl. You should have about 1 cup of zucchini juice (if not top up with water). Heat the juice/water 110 °F - 115 °F. About 30 seconds in my microwave put me at 120 °F, so I allowed it to cool a little. (If it's too hot, you can kill your yeast.)1 zucchini, 2 tsp sea salt, 1 cup zucchini juice and/or water
- Dissolve the yeast in the liquid, and once it starts bubbling stir in 2 cups of the flour, add zucchini shreds, oil, and sugar. You'll have a sticky mess, but don't despair... slowly add the remaining flour until it forms a loose ball and pulls away from the sides of the mixing bowl. We just want it formed enough to handle.2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast, 3 cups all-purpose flour, 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp sugar
- Turn out dough onto a floured surface, and with floured hands gently knead the dough picking up small amounts of flour until it can be picked up to transfer it to a bowl for proofing. It's tempting to keep adding flour, but the result is a dry, dense dough, so we want to avoid that.
- Place the dough into a lightly oiled bowl and coat the dough ball lightly. Cover and set aside to proof in a warm, draft free location. Allow the dough to rise to double in size (about 45 minutes at 100 °F), and punch down gently to allow some gas to escape. You can use the dough straight away or allow it to rise and be punched down again for a lighter, finer texture. Subsequent proofing will take less time.
- This recipe results in either two 12-14 inch pizzas or one half sheet pan pizza. Whichever you choose, lightly oil the pan and your hands before you form the dough into a crust shape. Because this is a wetter dough, it's best to press the dough into shape rather than stretch it in your hands like a regular pizza crust. Whatever shape you choose, allow the dough to rest a bit before topping it.
- Toppings are completely up to you of course. In my experience, this particular dough does better with no sauce and I avoid overly wet ingredients like fresh cheeses. I top it in this order: shredded or sliced mozzarella or provolone cheese, thinly sliced tomatoes, herbs like oregano, basil, parsley, thyme, marjoram, and garlic salt as my base, then pile on whatever veggies or meats that you like.
- Bake at 450 °F for 18-20 minutes (shorter if you are baking only one 12-14 inch pizza at a time). Hot out of the oven, brush the exposed crust immediately with butter or oil to maintain a soft texture. Serve it up hot and fresh... Enjoy!
Nutrition
Calories: 228kcalCarbohydrates: 41gProtein: 7gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gSodium: 588mgPotassium: 147mgFiber: 2gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 49IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 13mgIron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
