Low Sodium Cracker Crust Pizza with Pear, Mozzarella, and Arugula

It is my pleasure to share and grow the Hacking Salt blog with Chef Laura Bonicelli.  She, just as Chris did, has hacked the salt from her recipe to create a delicious Low Sodium Cracker Crust Pizza. I will continue to have guest bloggers add to our table to share their original LoSo stories and recipes. 

Chris and I met Chef Laura Bonicelli when she put a call out on Twitter in 2015 for a restaurant focused PR firm that could help her meal delivery/catering company emerge into the bricks and mortar restaurant she had always dreamed of as she honed her rustic style of seasonal cooking. We helped Chef Laura and her team raise the funds through Kickstarter and assisted with her PR and social media for many years. She has reinvented her passion for cooking into a virtual cooking club that offers recipes, live events, videos and cooking education for all levels of home cooks. www.bonicellicookingclub.com 

In the words of Chef Laura:

In the small town where I grew up in northern Minnesota, we had a local pizza joint called Choppy’s. I loved their pizza! My family always ordered sausage and pepperoni with extra cheese. It was salty, greasy, and pretty satisfying. It’s no wonder that I graduated to deep-dish in college.

Then, I went to Italy. Oddly enough, their pizza was different. I was stunned by the simplicity and restraint used in toppings. The pizza wasn’t an explosion of fat and salt; it was delicate and smokey. Sometimes they used fresh herbs, and sometimes, like in this recipe, a salad on top. There was cheese, surprisingly little cheese. I remember my Uncle saying (this was in Italian, so not a direct quote), “salt’s only job is to bring out the flavor of everything else.” At the time, I didn’t realize how much salt was in my typical American diet; I suspect he did.

There are a few tricks to making the crust cracker-like. First, Don’t knead the dough, and second, the thickness you roll it to is crucial – make it thin! Lastly, the coating of olive oil ensures that it cooks properly and will be crisp.

I know you will love this topping combination. However, the crust is perfect for a basic margarita pizza as well. My favorite part about the process is that it’s quick. Forty-five minutes, and you’ll have pizza in the oven.

Buon Appetito!
Chef Laura

Low Sodium Cracker Crust Pizza with Pear, Mozzarella, and Arugula

Chef Laura Bonicelli

Hacking Salt is pleased to welcome Chef Laura Bonicelli to our LoSo table.

5 from 1 vote

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Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Servings 4

Calories 392 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 5 cups Arugula
• 1 tablespoon Olive oil extra virgin
• 2 tablespoon White Wine Vinegar
• ----------------------------------------
• 2/3 cup Lukewarm water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Instant Dry or Active Dry Yeast
• 1 teaspoon Honey
• 3 tablespoons Olive oil extra virgin
• ----------------------------------------
• 2 cups Flour All-purpose
• 1/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt
• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
• ----------------------------------------
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil to brush on pizza crust
• 1 1/2 cups Shredded Aged Mozzarella
• 1 Pear thinly sliced
• 2/3 cup Walnuts roughly chopped
• 1/3 cup Red Onion thinly sliced

Instructions

 

• Preheat your oven to 450º F with a pizza stone in the bottom or on the bottom rack. Toss the arugula with olive oil and vinegar. Set aside.
• Measure the water in a 2-cup measuring cup. Add the yeast and honey; stir to combine. Let sit until a light foam starts to appear on the surface. Stir in the olive oil.
• Combine the flour, salt, and baking powder in a medium-sized bowl. Pour in the yeast mixture and stir to combine to form a dough. Work with your hands to form a ball. (Do not knead the dough.)
• On a lightly floured cutting board, divide the dough into two balls and cover lightly with plastic wrap. Let the dough sit for 30 minutes.
• Roll each piece of dough between two parchment-paper pieces coated with cooking spray; roll each into a 12-inch round. The dough will be very thin.
• Remove the top piece of paper and, using a pastry brush, coat the entire surface with olive oil. (Don't skip this step even if using a sauce).
• Sprinkle the pizza with half of the mozzarella. Arrange half of the pear evenly on the mozzarella and sprinkle with half of the walnuts and red onion.
• Place the pizza (still on the parchment) on the pizza stone and bake for 6 minutes. Turn the pizza and bake an additional 4 to 6 minutes until the edges are brown and crisp. Top evenly with half of the arugula and serve.
• Repeat the process for the second pizza.

Nutrition

Serving: 4servingsCalories: 392kcalCarbohydrates: 59gProtein: 7gFat: 14gSodium: 246mgPotassium: 238mgFiber: 4gCalcium: 143mgIron: 4mg

Keyword Cracker Crust Pizza, LoSo Pizza, Low Sodium Pizza

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