How to Make Pizza With Rye Dough

I really like working with the rye flour, and I like the sturdiness that it gives the pizza. If you don't like the taste of rye, though, you can substitute. I'm out of whole wheat flour, so have been experimenting with rye a lot. Bear with me. :)

It seems that the main challenge in making pizza is avoiding a soggy crust. My approach is to: 1) Saute veggies ahead of time to get rid of some of the juices. 2) Pre-bake the crust until almost done, so that basically all is left is for the cheese to melt. 3) Not overload the pizza with lots of fillings. It's good for individual flavors to shine, anyway.

Please share if you have other tips. I don't have a pizza stone or anything like that, just a metal baking pan. No corn meal, either.

So here is the crust:


Ingredients:

2 tbsp fast-rising yeast*
1 tbsp sugar
2 c warm water
1/3 c oil
2 tsp salt
2-3 c rye flour
2-3 c white flour

*This is the kind I had; use whichever you prefer.

Directions:

1) Mix yeast with sugar and water and let proof.
2) Add oil, salt, and 2 cups of each flour.
3) Continuing adding flour until dough is kneadable.
4) Knead until smooth and elastic.
5) Place in oiled bowl; let rise until doubled.


Assembling and cooking the pizza:

1) Place dough on your baking pan; let rise some more while preheating oven to 350 degrees. Place in oven for 8-10 minutes for initial cooking.

2) Do any necessary peeling/chopping/sauteing of toppings while the dough is in the oven.

3) Pull dough out and add toppings.

4) Bake another 8-10 minutes, until dough is cooked through and cheese has melted.

5) Try to get the pizza to a cooling rack as soon as possible so that it won't get soggy.