Beer-Flavored Pizza Crust

Pizza and beer ... they just naturally go together, don't they?  When I saw this recipe that used beer as its primary liquid over at the King Arthur Flour website, I just had to try it.  If beer is good with pizza, then it must be twice as good in pizza.  With enough dough for two large crusts, it creates a pizza that is definitely better than delivery and DiGiorno.  I highly recommend some of the Everyday Marinara as a sauce.

BEER-FLAVORED PIZZA CRUST
Printable version of this recipe

2-1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups of semolina flour *
2 t. instant yeast (also known as "Rapid Rise")
1 t. baking powder
1-1/2 t. salt
2 T olive oil
12 oz room-temperature beer 

Optional:  pizza flavoring for crust (1 t. Italian seasoning + 1/2 t. garlic powder + 1 T grated parmesan does nicely)

* Semolina can often be found in the bulk bins in the natural foods section of a grocery store.  If you cannot find semolina, simply substitute all-purpose flour.

PIZZA:  pizza sauce, cheese, and other toppings.   Pepperoni, onion, green pepper, thin slices of Roma tomatoes, and black olives are our usual choices.

DIRECTIONS

Mix and knead all ingredients -- by hand, bread machine, or stand mixer -- until you have a nice, smooth dough.  In my Kitchen Aid, this took about 4 minutes on second speed, using a dough hook.

Move to a lightly-greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.  Allow to rise anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours.  You're not looking for the dough to double in size; you just want the yeast to go to work.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  If you are using a pizza stone, place it in the oven to heat.

Divide the dough in half and roll out into two rectangles (or rounds, depending upon the pans you are using.)  Transfer the dough to parchment paper -- even if you are baking on a stone. Prick the crust all over with a fork.  And I do mean, all over.  Otherwise this crust will bubble and puff like a balloon in the oven. 

Transfer the crusts to baking sheets or stones, and then to the oven.  Bake for 5 minutes.  Remove; spread with pizza sauce and top with cheese, pepperoni, sausage, and other assorted toppings. (Note:  I like to use only about half of the cheese at this point.  Because the cheese tends to brown, I reserve half of it and put it on the pizza a few minutes before pulling the pizza out of the oven.)

Return pizzas to the oven and bake for around 15-18 minutes, or until crust and cheese begin to brown.  Remove pizza; sprinkle remaining cheese on top.  Return to the oven and allow to bake for an additional 2-3 minutes, or just until the cheese is melted.

Open up a second beer and enjoy.

Many thanks to King Arthur Flour for this recipe.