thin and crispy einkorn pizza crust
As I mentioned on the Instagram, last week turned out to be an accidental pizza week around these parts. And that was A-OK with me.
On Tuesday, we had some friends over for dinner and we made homemade pizza with my favorite no-knead crust. Then on Thursday, I made this pizza — this deliciously flaky, thin and crispy pizza crust made from einkorn flour (which I will explain more about in a sec, NOT TO WORRY) topped with roasted potatoes (that taste like potato chips on a pizza, major swoooooon), fresh mozzarella, red onion, roasted garlic and fresh rosemary. Then on Friday, I made a dessert pizza with a sugar cookie crust for a client.
You may say all that pizza-ing is just too much; I say it was glorious, and I hope to repeat it one day — nay, week — soon. Probably like next week.
Until then, memories of this pizza in particular will linger as it was my favorite of the whole week. I mean, potato chips on a pizza, guys. You just can’t go wrong with the carbs-on-carbs combo.
OK so about that einkorn business. I recently received a copy of Shanna and Tim Mallon’s cookbook, The Einkorn Cookbook, to review. Do you know Shanna and Tim, of Food Loves Writing? Not only do they create beautiful recipes on their site, but the writing is fantastic and poignant. I highly suggest you skedaddle over to their blog as soon as you’re done reading more about this amazing pizza crust that comes straight from their new book.
Before delving into this book, I’d never really heard of einkorn, much less baked or cooked with it. But it’s kind of awesome — not only is the ancient grain easier on the belly in terms of digestion (including those with gluten sensitivities), but you can enjoy it both in whole berry form or in flour form. The sweet flavor and silky texture of the einkorn lend themselves well to anything from vegetable quiche, kale salad, cinnamon buns, breads and cookies — all of which are recipes found in the cookbook, by the way. I might be drooling just thinking about them, I don’t know.
I decided to go with this recipe from their book for a thin and crispy pizza crust — it just sounded too darn good to pass up. After procuring some einkorn flour from the interwebs (though word on the street is it’s becoming easier and easier to find in local coops and grocery stores), I got to work on my pizza eating week I mean, pizza research week. Of course.
Here is what I love about this pizza crust: Um, it’s EASY. Like, you mix some stuff in a bowl, cover it with a towel or plastic wrap, and let it sit for about an hour. You’re not really waiting for it to double in size like with most pizza recipes, but just so it gets a little puffy. Then you press the dough super-duper-thin (about 1/4-inch thick I’d say, so way thinner than the photo below shows) onto a sheet of parchment paper, top it with all the toppings you could ever desire, and bake it for 12 to 15 minutes. That is all. And the result is a perfectly crumbly, flaky and ever-so-slightly chewy crust with a uniquely mild sweetness to it. It’s really the perfect texture and flavor for a pizza crust (most excellent call on that one, Tim and Shanna!). The edges get all golden brown and crackery, too, which I heart a million times over. And also ate a million times over.
Below are instructions for exactly how I did up my pizza: Instead of two smaller pizzas as indicated in the book, I just made one gigantor pizza. I topped it with a brushing of olive oil, roasted garlic, sliced red onions, fresh mozzarella, thin-sliced roasted red potatoes, fresh rosemary leaves and a sprinkling of Parmigiano Reggiano. But I can also see the flavor of this crust pairing deliciously with red sauce and pepperoni, or barbecue sauce and chicken, or strawberries and leeks with a balsamic drizzle (which is actually a suggestion/recipe in the book!). Anything goes, really. All you need to worry about is getting enough slices into your pie hole. Good thing the crust is uber simple to make, in case seconds are in order.
So when I say “Impromptu pizza party at my house!” you say “Be right over!” and we’ll all make einkorn pizza crust together, OK?
Also, homemade potato chips on pizza = I need to do this in my life forever and ever.
PrintThin and Crispy Einkorn Pizza Crust
- Prep Time: 1 hour 20 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Total Time: 2 hours 5 mins
- Yield: 1 large or 2 small pizzas 1x
Ingredients
For the pizza crust:
- 2 to 2 1/2 cups (250 to 313 g) all-purpose einkorn flour
, plus more for sprinkling
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 2 1/4 teaspoons (1 packet) active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup plain kefir or yogurt
- 1/4 cup warm water (about 105 to 110 degrees F)
For the toppings (optional):
- 1 lb red potatoes, scrubbed clean and thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 bulb garlic
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Sliced fresh mozzarella, sliced red onion, fresh rosemary leaves and grated Parmigiano Reggiano
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine 2 cups (or 250 g) einkorn flour, olive oil, sea salt, yeast and kefir with a wooden spoon or dough whisk.
- Stir in warm water, then use dough whisk or your hands to knead dough together into a ball, adding more flour (up to 1/2 cup) or warm water (up to 1/4 cup) as needed.
- Drizzle oil in bowl, then place dough in bowl, turning once to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour (dough will not double, but it will get slightly puffy).
- Meanwhile, heat oven to 400 degrees F. In a large bowl, toss sliced potatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet.
- Peel away as much of the outer skins from the garlic bulb as you can, keeping the bulb intact. Slice off the top 1/4-inch to expose the cloves. Place bulb on a small piece of foil; drizzle very lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cover completely with foil; place bulb, cut-side up, on baking sheet with potatoes.
- Cook potatoes and garlic 30 to 40 minutes until potatoes are just crisp and garlic is roasted.
- When dough is ready, heat oven to 475 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; lightly sprinkle with flour. Press and stretch dough on prepared baking sheet until really thin (you can divide the dough into 2 pizzas, too, if you want). Brush top of dough with olive oil, then top with roasted garlic, sliced mozzarella, roasted potatoes, sliced onion, fresh rosemary leaves and a generous sprinkling of Parmigiano Reggiano (or whatever toppings you desire).
- Bake pizzas 12 to 15 minutes until crust is golden brown on the edges and cheese is melted and bubbly. Cool 5 minutes before slicing.
Disclosure: I received a copy of “The Einkorn Cookbook” for review purposes only. All opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links.
I’ve never heard of einkorn, but now I’m super intrigued and I’m off to read more about it. This pizza looks gorgeous. I love potatoes on pizza. Doubling down on the carbs is always a good thing!
I’m totally up for impromptu pizza night. Someone says ‘pizza’, I say ‘I’m there!’
This looks amazing…delicate…delicious.
Pinned.
Happy Monday Steph!
Steph, YES to this cookbook and an even bigger YEASS to those toppings you put on that pizza. Sounds like a dream – and something I’m making ASAP!
When I think einkorn, I think of an ancient foods class I took in college. We had to be able to identify all the ancient grains like emmer, einkorn, and millet. It was awful. That being said, I’m totally down to eat einkorn, as long as I don’t have to know what it looks like. And especially down to eat it in pizza form 🙂
Sarah — Ugh that sounds truly awful. Good thing in this case, you just have to eat it. 😉
I am always always always up for pizza night! This reminds me of the Boise pizza from Pizzeria Lola which I had LAST NIGHT and it was sooooo good! Potatoes on pizza + genius.
Every week could be pizza week for me.. Thin crust is always my favorite so this one looks dreamy.
I love find out about new flours! I have tog et myself a cop of this book and make a my self a double carb pizza, Love it Stephanie!
Multiple pizza nights sounds pretty good to me. Loving this crust and those toppings!
Oh I’m so glad you did all that research. The results are perfect (and now I need to “test” them)
This sounds like an awesome pizza! You can never have too much in my opinion and this one is unique. Hope to try soon 🙂
Totally trying this ASAP!! And I love the way your mind thinks. Multiple pizza nights? YES!!!
Oh man, this pizza looks incredible! I have Shanna and Tim’s cookbook and can’t decide on what delicious thing to make yet 🙂 Nice choice here! And because it’s so thin, it’s basically a personal pizza, right? 🙂
This looks fabulous! Perfect to serve at a get-together. I still have a bag of einkorn flour in my pantry, so I may make this soon!
This is such a unique pizza. I have never seen one like this before. It looks amazing.
Sini — Yes, it’s great for get-togethers (or for just me and myself? ;))! You definitely should use some of that flour for this pizza crust — you’ll love it.
Oooooo I love finding new healthy ingredients to lighten up all my fattening favorites. And those crispy potatoes and rosemary?? Ahhhh love.
What an awesome cookbook! My mom uses einkorn all the time, and I bet she would flip her lid over this cookbook! I’m texting her right now! This ultra thin crispy crust looks magnificent and I luuurve your choice of toppings. I’d love to make this pie on Sunday and all the days. Thanks for informing me about Shanna’s new book!
Absolutely love this thin and crispy crust pizza. Not to mention those toppings.
This sounds delicious. I’m dying to try some of this einkorn flour!!!
Potato pizza is my favourite moreish treat! Yum!!
Thin and crispy pizza crust is the best, what a beauty this is!
I’ve have been looking for a thin crust pizza dough recipe in an attempt to recreate a local pizza flavor! This looks delicious!
Potatoes and rosemary on pizza can’t be beat! I had a pizza in Chicago that also had a couple of fried eggs plopped on top of the crispy potatoes–so good!
Never have I heard, eaten or even cooked with einkorn before! You definitely have inspired me to try and get my hands on some now…
The Pioneer Woman first taught me to put potatoes on pizza. And I never looked back! This recipe sounds amazing!
I can never eat too much pizza! This crust looks so crispy and delicious!
I think we need to have a pizza week! Love the unique flavors of this pizza!
I’ve never had einkorn flour before, but now I’m so intrigued, especially considering how deliciously thin and crispy that crust looks! My favorite pizza from when I was a kid has these same toppings – it’s sounds like an odd combination, but it’s SO good!
Woah, I had NEVER heard of einkorn before this. I want to do more research on it! It’s interesting that it works in so manyer cipes too. I’m so intrigued!!
Interesting…I’ve never heard of Einkorn before, but now I want to find me some 🙂 Love the looks of this pizza, I’ve always loved a thin crust, and potatoes, rosemary…yes pleeease!
I love Tim and Shanna’s pizza crust – it’s my go to recipe and I’ve made it with all sorts of flour. Your toppings sound so good too; I love potatoes on a pizza.
These photos look amazing, especially the roasted garlic. I’ve got to try this recipe asap! Happy Wednesday 🙂
http://www.lovecompassionatelee.com/thinkoutloud/2015/1/28/12815
So creative and delicious! Potato chips – I know some folks (ahem – my son, and me, ok?) that would devour this baby! Yum!
Homemade pizza is the best and thin crust is one of my favorites.
Well you can’t argue with a no knead pizza crust. I love making homemade pizza. Most of the time they are waaaaaaaaaay more interesting and delicious and creative in flavor combinations than you can normally get in a pizza parlor.
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Hey, I have tried baking your parmesan pesto, and it comes out good. I am so happy that reading here in your blog makes me learn new things. So maybe, this will be my next target. I need to make this thin crispy einkorn pizza, that I am planning to partner with mott 32 (http://mott32.com/) cocktails. Yum! I am more than ready welcoming the summer =)
I’m a huge fan of Einkorn and am lucky enough to have a store or two close by where I can pick it up whenever I want some. Thanks for this great explanation of a pizza crust recipe, it’s Father’s Day today, and my kids got me a new pizza peel, so it looks like pizza night outside on my Big Green Egg, einkorn flour dough of course!
so when you say “knead into a ball….”, how much kneading are we talking about? With einkorn flour less is more, but I don’t want to knead the dough too little (wouldn’t that affect the texture as well?). Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. In my experience, pizza dough’s can be finicky.
I just made the dough, i added herbs n spices to the dough. Let it rest 35 minutes, then played with it a few minutes til smooth n silky, then let it rest again, (in warm place). It rose just enough, you know, the way thin pizza crust should. I played with it for bit more, rolled it out somewhat, rolled up the edge, (next time will put a bit of cheese in that roll) and put our toppings on it, homemade barbecue sauce, mushrooms, fresh spinach, baked spiced/herbed chicken, a few surprise jalapeño, and cotija, mozzarella and irish sharp cheddar ?. Just a wee bit of each one. This crust though! The rolled up edge was soft n chewy, and the thin bottom perfectly crusty! We will use this again! Thanks for posting! Ps…i do use einkorn always! I love it, the texture, the smell, the way it plays so nicely.
Loved this. Very tasty and so simple even I didn’t mess it up!
★★★★★
My kids and husband loved this crust! We put sauce and cheese on it, so I baked the crust for a few min before adding toppings. I’ll prob make it a tiny bit thinner next time, but it really was perfect and made two good sized pizzas.
★★★★★
Lisa, I’m so glad you loved it!
This was my first time making the pizza crust, I was a little hesitant of using 2 tsp if salt but I did. I would try 1 tsp – 1 1/4 tsp the next time. Maybe use a little more water and handle it a little less. Dough was a little dense. But as far as a quick crust recipe, it was was good.
★★★
Carole, Thanks so much for your feedback!
I made this pizza crust and topped it with traditional pizza toppings. We love it! I made it first as written but found it salty, but maybe the cheese and pepperoni I added just added too much salt too. So I made it again with 1/4 t salt and it was perfect. Thanks for posting this recipe, it is now my go to crust recipe!
Getting ready to make the pizza dough but am not clear as to whether the yeast is simply sprinkled over the flour or mixed with the water first. Could you clarify? Thanks – David
David, You can just stir the yeast into the dough in this recipe!
So glad I found your site. I love the einkorn flour and it’s qualities. Can you sub coconut yogurt in place of dairy based yogurt?
Barb, Yes, you can sub the yogurt!
Hey, Stephanie! 5 years later… I just came across this recipe while looking at variations on einkorn pizza crust recipes. Most are about the same, but yours included kefir which I’ll try next time to note the texture/taste difference. My question for you is — why do you need to bake the thinly sliced potatoes first, when the pizza will be baking at a super-high heat for nearly 15 minutes? If they’re thinly cut like the ones in your photos — don’t they turn out over=cooked, or very very crunchy?? Have you tried baking this with raw thin-sliced potatoes?? In my time in Italy, focaccia with potatoes and rosemary was one of my favorite street foods. But I’m certain they never pre-baked the potatoes! Curious….. 🙂
Trish, Great question! To be perfectly honest with you, I haven’t made this recipe in a long time but I do not recall the potatoes ever being too crunchy or overcooked. The recipe is from a cookbook and that was their suggestion — to precook the potatoes. My only concern with raw potatoes is that the moisture will make the crust soggy/moist before it has a chance to evaporate in the oven. That being said, it’s worth an experiment!