Hiiii. Spring is here! Everything is so lush and green now and I am in heaven with it. Asparagus is the definitive spring vegetable, and I’ve had it on the mind since my mom told me she was making it with scalloped potatoes and ham for Easter. As fresh and springy as asparagus may be, however, it’s an awkward vegetable to eat in spears, so I cut it in thin, diagonal slices. Pan roasted with olive oil, garlic, salt, and a spritz of lemon, it’s perfect on its own.
This post is about pizza crust and rolls, but the above featured pizza is a ricotta-parmesan bechemel, pulled chicken, honey-caramelized onions, pan roasted garlicky asparagus, and a sprinkling of toasted pine nuts. It had all the NOMS.
I made too much pizza dough and had about half the batch leftover after making a jelly roll pan of the thin crust I just described, so the rest was made into rolls!
Buttery Garlic Pizza Crust or Rolls
Ingredients
2 tsp active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 cup warm water (115 F)
1 tbsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
4 tbsp softened butter
3 cups all-purpose flour
Serves: 2 jelly roll-sized pans of thin crust pizza (about 4-6 large square servings per pan) OR
3-4 14″ diameter pizzas (about 1-2 servings per pizza) OR
16 dinner rolls
Instructions
Let the yeast, sugar, and warm water sit in a bowl for five minutes, or until the yeast starts to multiply. Add the butter, salt, garlic, and flour, and knead dough (either by hand or with a stand mixer) until smooth. Allow to rise for 5-10 minutes in a warm place.
If making thin crust pizza, divide dough into two equal parts, and store the other half for a second pizza. Roll out onto floured surface with a rolling pin until roughly the shape of your pan (I used a jelly roll pan) and carefully transfer the dough to your pan. There is no need to grease the pan.
If making a regular sized personal pizza, divide dough into thirds or fourths and roll each section onto a floured surface into a rough circle (don’t worry–it does not have to be perfect!). Gently transfer dough to a pizza stone or cookie sheet.
Bake the crust without toppings for 7-8 minutes at 425 F. Then put on toppings and continue baking for 12-15 minutes at 425 F. Allow to cool before cutting!
If making dinner rolls, divide dough in half, then in half again, and continue halving until you have 16 equal pieces of dough. Gently form the dough with your hands into 2″ rounded cubes and place on an aluminum foil lined cookie sheet about 2″ apart from each other. Bake at 425 F for 15 minutes. Immediately after removing from oven, slather with butter and gobble!