St. Louis-style Pizza

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I think I have the spring cleaning bug, as I've been cleaning and tossing out "stuff" since we returned from Disney World. Weird, huh? I always start with my magazines, because I tend to keep them forever, and they stack up mercilessly. I decided to use the "when did you look at this last" test as my weeding criteria. If I couldn't remember, I did a quick perusal, cut out anything that seemed interesting, i.e., a recipe, and then tossed it into the recyle pile.
Losers? Southern Living, Good Housekeeping, and Taste of Home are all neatly arranged in our recycle bin. While I was weeding, I took the time to look some of my older issues of Cook's Country magazine. I so love Cook's Country!
Anyway, I re-read the article on St. Louis-style pizza and decided to make it for our Saturday supper. I was intrigued by the crust, as it's yeast-less and crispy, which is my favorite style of pizza crust. Andrew had a great time making his own and told me it was the best pizza ever! I was a little worried that he wouldn't like the flavor of the cheese, as it has a bit of Liquid Smoke added to mimic the flavor of Provel cheese, but he didn't mention anything, and I certainly didn't ask. However, with that said, I think I'll just use a mixture of provolone, white American, and Monterey Jack next time, as the Liquid Smoke made it a little too salty; the crust, though, is wonderfully crisp and thin, so if you're a thin & crispy pizza lover, you'll love St. Louis-style pizza!

St. Louis-style Pizza
8-oz can tomato sauce
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 tablespoons dried oregano

For the cheese:
2 cups shredded white American cheese
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
3 drops liquid smoke

For the dough:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons olive oil

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees.
Whisk together tomato sauce, tomato paste, basil, 1 tablespoon sugar and oregano in a small bowl; set aside.
Toss American and Monterey Jack cheeses with liquid smoke in a medium bowl; set aside.
Combine flour, cornstarch, 2 teaspoons sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
Combine water and olive oil in a measuring cup.
Stir water mixture into flour mixture until dough starts to come together. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and knead 3 or 4 times, until cohesive.
Divide dough into 2 equal pieces.
Working with 1 piece of dough at a time, press into a small circle and transfer to a sheet of parchment paper dusted lightly with flour.
Using a rolling pin, roll and stretch dough into a 12-inch circle, rotating parchment as needed.
Place parchment onto a baking sheet.
Repeat process with remaining dough.
Divide sauce between each pizza, then top each with the cheese.
Bake at 475 degrees for 10-13 minutes.
Cut pizzas into 2-inch squares and serve.

Recipe adapted from Cook's Country Magazine

Linked to Hearth and Soul, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Meatless Mondays, Tasty Tuesday, Dr. Laura's Tasty Tuesday, Wandering Wednesday BlogHop, What's Cooking Wednesday, Tuesday Night Supper Club

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