I grew up in Atlanta, not that far from Emory University. There was a restaurant about 15 minutes from our house in Emory Village called Everybody’s Pizza, but it closed about seven years ago after 41 years in business. One of their specialties was the “pizza crisp”, an incredibly thin and, yes, crispy crusted pizza with a variety of toppings. Our family favorite was the Broccoli Crisp, topped with Italian Dressing (yes, the gloopy 1970’s kind, but this was actually in the 70’s!), cheddar cheese and broccoli florets.

I don’t remember exactly when, but at some point my mom, who was a great cook, got or figured out a pizza crisp dough recipe and she started making them at home. And since my mom didn’t really know how to make a small amount of things, that means we usually had stacks of these crusts, par baked, in our freezer. As our family grew with more cousins that lived close by, these pizza crisps became the most requested item for birthdays by young and old alike. Out came the crusts from the freezer for a very quick defrost. Then a slew of toppings were laid out: different kinds of cheeses, sun dried tomatoes, sliced onions, garlic butter, olives and of course, broccoli. A variety of pies would come out of the oven and get gobbled up before the next batch was out, everyone screaming for what kind they wanted next. Even when it was just my close family, the gathering was at least 10 people.

The Dough

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As I said, I’m not sure where my mom got this recipe from. It is a very different dough than a regular pizza dough. It takes about 2 minutes to mix, 10 minutes to sit, and then it’s ready to roll out. The trick is using Quick Rise Yeast and not adding any salt to the dough. Not adding salt and and just letting the dough sit after a brief mix incorporates a method called Autolysing. If you’ve made any No-Knead Bread, you’ve taken advantage of autolysing the dough. Autolysis allows the flour to fully hydrate and proteins and enzymes to do their thing with a better result than with heavy kneading. There are a few ways to use this method, and this dough uses a quick one. Since there is no salt in this recipe, which would inhibit the yeast as well as the other enzymatic activity going on during the autolyse, make sure your toppings are well seasoned.

Some Tips

This dough starts out really shaggy, as you can see from the picture below. You will need extra flour to work the dough. This is also the only time I recommend using a rolling pin for pizza dough. The crusts do come out a bit raggedy on the edges, but that actually makes the edges really crispy and tasty when baked. This dough is easily doubled without adding extra yeast. Since these are very thin crusts, do not go to heavy with the sauce or other toppings.

2.5 cups unbleached All-Purpose flour, or Type 00 Flour
1 pkg (2 1/4 teaspoons) rapid rise yeast
1 cup water
1tbs oil

Preheat the oven to 450*. You will need either a pizza stone or a 12-14” pizza pan, preferably perforated.

In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients until combined. A little bit of dry flour is ok; it will get absorbed. Let sit for 10-15 minutes, till slightly puffy. For 14” crusts, divide dough into 4 pieces. For 10-12” crusts divide into 6 pieces.

On a well floured surface, and with a well floured rolling pin, roll out one crust. Par-bake for two minutes. Remove to a cooling rack. Repeat rolling and baking until done. Top and bake right away, or let crusts cool completely and then freeze, stacked, until needed. Crusts take about 10 minutes to thaw enough to separate.

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To cook, preheat oven to 450* with a stone if you have one. If you don’t have a stone, you will need a pizza pan. Top the crust with the sauce and toppings of your choice, remembering to have a light hand with the toppings. Bake for 8-10 minutes until done. Let cool a couple of minutes before cutting.

Pictured here are the Broccoli Crisp mentioned above (but with a homemade vinaigrette!) and one brushed with olive and topped with Fontal cheese and fresh corn, and then sprinkled with fresh chopped oregano and Aleppo pepper flakes after taken out of the oven. And since one son also wanted a “regular pizza”, one topped with a quick homemade tomato sauce and mozzarella. He did however really enjoy the corn pizza. (To make a quick sauce, purée one 14 oz can of Italian tomatoes in a blender. Sauté some garlic in olive oil and then pour in the tomatoes. Add some dried oregano and stir. Bring to a low boil, then simmer for 10-15 minutes until thickened enough that when a spatula pulled through it leaves a trail that doesn’t come together for about 5 seconds. Taste and season with salt if needed.)

Other family favorites are garlic butter with mozzarella and sliced red onion and Herbed Olive Oil with Mozzarella, Feta, Sun-dried tomatoes, olives and fresh oregano.

Food as Memory

Cooking these for my wife and kids in California always makes me think of my family in Atlanta. A gathering of our immediate family always included my Mom, my maternal uncle, and my maternal Grandfather, all of whom have passed, as well as my Aunt (my mom’s sister), Uncle, my cousins, and Grandmother. My Mom was so associated with these pizza crisps, that of all the people that spoke at her funeral, only one of them did NOT mention them in their eulogy.

While I don’t expect you to become so attached to these as I am, I do hope you enjoy them, and that you make some food memories of your own for you and your family somehow.

Have Fun Cooking!

Stuart