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The best pizza begins with a great pizza crust. Cornmeal and Parmesan cheese give a great flavour and a nice crunch without needing to overbake your pizza. It’s a nice change from traditional pizza and so easy to make.
There is nothing better than homemade pizza. And I love how easy and versatile it is, especially using a Bread Maker to prepare the dough.
Bake this Cornmeal Parmesan pizza crust for your next pizza party! Use your favourite toppings and cook them until it reaches golden perfection.
You’ve probably all heard, “you should add cornmeal to your pizza,” but why exactly? It’s simple, really; cornmeal helps add a crunchy, crispy texture to your pizza and adds a delicious nutty flavour!
Making a cornmeal-based pizza dough will give you a unique flavour and a divine texture, especially if you love crispy pizzas! And what’s even better is that it is just as easy (if not easier) to make as regular pizza dough. This is definitely the lesser-known way to use cornmeal with pizza. But, I must say, it is a delicious option to have with a ton of benefits!
Some like a thin and crispy pizza crust, while others prefer a thick and soft pizza crust. This homemade pizza crust has it all: soft & chewy with a delicious crisp and incredible flavour.
One of my favourite things is this recipe makes two 30-35cm/12-14-inch crusts, and I give instructions on how to freeze one for later!
For inspiration, take a look at these Pizza Toppings Suggestions.
If you’re looking for a pizza that uses no yeast and has no rise time, try our Tapioca (Gluten-free) Pizza Crust, a 3-ingredient pizza ready in 5 minutes.
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Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cups Water - 27-32°C/80-90°F
- 3 tbsp Olive oil
- 3 1/3 cups All-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup Cornmeal
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese - Grated
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 1/4 tsp Active dry yeast
Instacart is available in the US only at the moment.
Instructions
- Attach the kneading blade in the Bread Maker pan.
- Place all ingredients in a bread machine in the order listed (or specified for your bread maker).1 1/3 cups Water, 3 tbsp Olive oil, 3 1/3 cups All-purpose flour, 2/3 cup Cornmeal, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, 1 tsp Salt, 1 1/4 tsp Active dry yeast
- Carefully insert the bread pan into the Bread Maker and gently close the lid. Plug the power cord into a wall outlet.
- Select the "Dough" or "Pizza" setting. Press "Start/Stop."
- Check the dough consistency during the kneading cycle. If needed, add more flour or liquid.
- When the machine signals (after 1 hour and 30 minutes), the dough is finished. Press “Start/Stop.”
- When the dough setting finishes, gently remove the dough and divide it into two balls.
Do not let the pizza dough rise for too long at room temperature. Over-proofing can easily ruin your pizza.
- Once you remove the dough from the bread pan, shape it immediately or put it covered in the refrigerator (better option – see notes)or freeze it.
Allow the pizza dough to rise in the refrigerator (optional but recommended - see notes)
- When the dough rises slowly in the refrigerator, it enhances flavour and texture. It’s even better if you make it a day before.
- Fold the dough according to instructions and let it rise slowly in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours (Or in the freezer for more extended periods).
- Put it in an airtight container and place the dough in the fridge for preparation the day after. You can also use a self-sealing plastic bag. All you need is to oil the surface of the bag. It should also be large enough to accommodate the rising dough in the refrigerator. So, make sure you leave a space for a 10% buffer.
- Just after withdrawing the dough from the fridge, it is advisable to warm it to room temperature before baking.
Shaping the dough
- For best results, let the dough rest for about 30 minutes until it gets up to room temperature (21°C/70°F) and rises a bit.
- Shape each piece of the dough into a ball. It is easier to roll out a circle by starting with a ball!
- Roll out the dough with a dusted rolling pin on a parchment paper sheet or a silicone mat and pull it into shape.
- Note: If your dough is elastic, allow the dough to rest for 5-10 minutes to allow the gluten to relax.
- Put it on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper or sprayed with olive oil. Dust with cornmeal.
- Then use your fingers or hands to spread the dough to the edges of a pizza pan. And you are ready to top it.
For a thin and crispy crust, add the sauce, cheese, and toppings and immediately get it into the oven.
For a thick and chewy crust (but still crispy on the bottom), brush the crust with oil. Cover and let the dough stand for about 15 minutes until almost doubled in size.
Topping
- Spread pizza sauce (Tomato and/or Basil Pesto) over the dough.
- Sprinkle toppings over the sauce - At least 200g (0.5LB) of mozzarella cheese on each pizza.
- For inspiration, take a look at these Pizza Toppings Suggestions.
Baking the pizza
- Note: Bake in a hot oven (220-230ºC/425-450ºF) on a stone or heavy dark-coloured pizza steel pan for an extra-crusty crust.
- Bake for about 10-20 minutes until the cheese gets bubbly, and the crust is golden brown.
- Note: Bake thin crusts quickly, thicker crusts longer. Keep a close watch on your pizza because there’s a fine line between delightful and crispy and scorched when cooking at a high temperature.
- When your pizza is done, take it out of your oven and allow it to cool for about 5 minutes to let the cheese set up.
Video
Notes
What is cornmeal?
It is created from dried corn into a meal ground and is commonly used in cooking. It has a slightly thicker consistency in comparison to wheat flour. What is excellent about cornmeal is that it adds sweetness to a bake.What type of cornmeal should you use for making pizza dough?
It is best to use either a fine or a medium textured cornmeal for pizza dough. Using the finely ground cornmeal inside the dough, you will have a lightly textured base. If you want to add more texture, use medium or coarse cornmeal to dust the baking tray. When choosing a variety of cornmeal to use, I recommend yellow or white cornmeal. The yellow cornmeal will help give the dough a nicely golden-brown appearance. However, if you are feeling experimental, try blue or red cornmeal. This is also a great option if you are having themed parties!Cornmeal X Corn flour (AKA corn starch)
Cornmeal and corn flour are not the same product. It is a highly processed product made from corn grains. Cornmeal is made using the grain's endosperm, whereas corn flour is extracted from it—only the starchy parts. It is a very fine white powder used to help thicken sauces, soups, and other liquid products in savoury and sweet recipes. Do not use corn flour/start in this pizza dough recipe.Cornmeal X Semolina
While both of these products (or at least the popular varieties of each) look very similar, they are different. The main one is that cornmeal is made from gluten-free corn grains, whereas semolina is made from gluten-containing durum wheat. You can use them interchangeably for this recipe, but cornmeal adds something special. Cornmeal typically adds more texture and flavour to the pizza than semolina. Semolina has a more neutral flavour, and you'll not notice it as much as cornmeal.Don't let the pizza dough rise for too long
Over-proofing can easily ruin your pizza. If you let the dough rise for too long, it will interfere with the texture. When you wait for too long, your pizza could end up with an unpleasant taste. Worst of all, the pizza may collapse in the oven, resulting in a deflated pizza.The final product will be 20% less than the original product.
Allow the pizza dough to rise in the refrigerator
When the dough rises slowly in the refrigerator, it enhances flavour and texture. It's even better if you make it a day before. Fold the dough according to instructions and let it rise slowly in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours (Or in the freezer for more extended periods). Put it in an airtight container and place the dough in the fridge for preparation the day after. You can also use a self-sealing plastic bag. All you need is to oil the surface of the bag. It should also be large enough to accommodate the rising dough in the refrigerator. So, make sure you leave a space for a 10% buffer. After withdrawing the dough from the fridge, it is advisable to warm it to room temperature before baking.You should NOT leave the dough inside the bread machine.
After the dough cycle ends, remove the dough from the bread machine and divide it into two balls, fold the dough according to instructions and let it rise slowly in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours (Or in the freezer for more extended periods). Put it in an airtight container and place the dough in the fridge for preparation the day after. You can also use a self-sealing plastic bag. All you need is to oil the surface of the bag. It should also be large enough to accommodate the rising dough in the refrigerator. So, make sure you leave a space for a 10% buffer. After withdrawing the dough from the fridge, it is advisable to warm it to room temperature before baking. If you stretch your dough and it springs back, the problem could be the temperature. If you roll out the dough when it's still cold, it will be elastic and will continue to contract to a smaller size no matter how much you roll and stretch it. For best results, keep your dough at room temperature (21°C/70°F). So, let it rest for about 30 minutes until it gets up to room temperature and rises a bit.Pizza toppings suggestions
Not sure what to put on your crust? There is a list of several toppings suggestions to accompany the dough you choose at http://fast2eat.com/pizza-toppings/. Have some fun by creating your own combination of pizza toppings by mixing and matching toppings as desired. That's what pizza is all about. Build your pizza in this order:- Crust
- Sauce - Go easy on the sauce.
- Toppings - top with cheese and topping of your choice
- Cheese - Sprinkle cheese over the sauce before other toppings
- Meat - Defrost the meat before adding it to your pizza
- Veggies - Be mindful of ingredients that will exude water as they bake
- A light sprinkle of additional cheese
- Herbs, arugula, spinach or lettuce - Add fresh herbs after baking
Turn the oven up high
Pizza restaurants cook their pizzas at temperatures of 370-425°C/700-800°F, which you definitely can't do in your home oven. However, if you want to cook the perfect pizza at home, the higher you turn the heat up, the better. The higher temperature will give you a perfectly browned, crisp pizza. You're probably used to set your oven at a temperature of between 175-190°C/350-375°F when you bake your bread, which is good. However, pizza crust is an altogether different story. You want your crust to be cooked quickly, making the outside beautifully crisp and the inside pleasantly chewy.So, start by preheating your oven to a temperature of 230°C/450°F. Then turn it back to 220°C/425°F when you put the pizza in the oven.
Be sure to put your pizza on the middle-to-lower part of your oven rack to keep your cheese from burning. When your pizza is done, take it out of your oven and allow it to cool for 5-10 minutes to let the cheese set up.
Leftover
This recipe makes enough dough for two 30-35cm/12-14-inch thin pizzas or two 30cm/12-inch thick pizza crusts. Use to make as many pizzas as desired, then refrigerate any remaining dough for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 3 months.Freezing
If freezing, you must make it rise once before freezing it. This will give you many advantages, such as your dough will become much more manageable and light. You don't have to worry about it as most bread machines' dough setting finishes the first rise cycle.How to Thaw Pizza Dough
Thaw dough in the refrigerator overnight before using.It's always a good idea to open the bread machine's lid during the second kneading cycle (after about 10 minutes) and check the consistency of the dough ball. The dough is "just right" when it is a smooth round ball in appearance, soft to the touch, leaves a slight residue on your finger, and the bottom of the bread pan is clean of dough residue.
- If it's too dry, add lukewarm liquid a teaspoon at a time until it looks right.
- If it looks too wet, add flour a tablespoon at a time until it looks right.
- If there is flour on the sides of the pan, use a Silicone Spatula to wipe the flour from the pan.
Also check:
- Everything You Need to Know to Start Baking Awesome Bread Using a Bread Maker
- Fast2eat Foolproof (Bread maker) Bread Recipes
* "Long-term dietary intake of gluten was not associated with risk of coronary heart disease. However, the avoidance of gluten may result in reduced consumption of beneficial whole grains, which may affect cardiovascular risk. The promotion of gluten-free diets among people without celiac disease should not be encouraged." (Source: http://www.bmj.com/content/357/bmj.j1892)
* Content and images based on Sunbeam CKSBBR9050-033 Bread Maker User Manual Retrieved from https://www.sunbeam.ca/on/demandware.static/-/Sites-sunbeam-ca-Library/default/dw500b4350/documents/instruction-manuals/CKSBBR9050-033.pdf
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Nutrition
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.
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