My husband used to love getting those pretzel crust pizzas at the local pizza joint.  He was so disappointed when he learned they no longer carried them.  So he asked me to try my hand at making one.  I’ve made soft pretzels before and figured this couldn’t be too far of a leap from the technique used there.  Apparently it worked because my husband loved it and continues to request it. The only thing I have not tried to make from scratch yet is the cheese sauce.

It’s fairly easy to make – but you will have to boil the rolled out dough in a pot of water.  Be sure to roll and shape accordingly.  You will also need a way to remove the dough from the pot without ripping or smushing it.  Ideally you will use a wide, shallow pot and flip the dough over a strong handled spoon and use another spoon or utensil to steady the dough and keep a hold of it until transferring it to a cooling rack to cool and drip dry.

Ingredients:

• 1-1/3c warm water
• 1tb yeast
• 2tb honey
• 3-1/2c flour
• 1ts salt
• Butter for the crust – I just wipe a stick of butter around the edge of the pizza once I pull it from the oven after the first baking)
• Pretzel salt or other salt in larger chunks
• 1/3c baking soda and a pot of boiling water
• 1c cheese sauce (like nacho cheese, mild)
• 1c mozzarella cheese
• Pepperoni

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 425F.
2. Begin by proofing the yeast – combine the water, yeast and honey in your mixing bowl and let it sit and get foamy – about 5 minutes.
3. Get a pot of water boiling.  Don’t fill the pot completely full – when you add the baking soda the water will bubble furiously for a bit.  When the water is boiling, pour in the baking soda then reduce the heat to keep the water near-boiling but not rapidly boiling.
4. Pour in your flour and salt. Mix until a dough forms.  Knead for about 10 minutes.
5. Divide dough into however many pizzas you are going to make from it.  I can make 3 pizza rounds from one batch of this dough.  Remember, they need to fit in a stockpot once rolled out.
6. Roll dough out into a circle.  Drop it into near-boiling water and let it cook for 30 seconds.  Pull it out and set it on a cooling rack so the water will drip off.
7. Place pizza on a greased pizza or baking sheet and cook for 5-10 minutes, until you notice it is just beginning to take on a very light brown color.
8. Remove pizza from oven and rub a stick of butter around the edge.  Sprinkle with course grain salt.  Spread cheese sauce on, top with cheese and pepperoni.  Add additional toppings if you wish.  Return pizza to the oven for another 7-10 minutes.  Keep an eye on the pizza, baking times will vary depending on the size of your crust.