Thin-Crust Skillet Pizza

Hey everyone!  I know it's been awhile.  I've been traveling the world, going to trade shows, developing my own cooking show on TLC and starting my own restaurant. 

Just Kidding.

I know you've probably been frantic about where I was since you are aware of my tendency to injure myself.  Don't worry my fellow chefs, all is well in the kitchen.  I've just been {enter excuse here}.

This week I made a Skillet Thin Crust Pizza.  My dad accidentally left a Cook's magazine at my apartment full of skillet-made recipes.  I think this is a conspiracy to get me to try these, like them, and then make them for him.  It would only be more obvious if he marked the pages of the recipes he was "going to try to make himself".

The thought of making a time-consuming tasty dinner like pizza all in a stove-top skillet in under 30 minutes sounded great!

First, I diced 4 medium tomatoes, salted them, and let them drain on a paper towel for 10 minutes.  I suggest putting the salt in the dough instead of tomatoes.  It'll give the crust more flavor... or do both.  I don't care.  I'm not the boss of you.  (Or, am I?)

Next, I mixed 1 cup of fat-free shredded mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup of shredded parmesan and 1/2 cup of chopped basil.  Don't use fat-free cheese.  You'll see.

While that drained I started the dough.  1 cup flour, 1/2 tsp baking powder, sugar and add the salt here if you want.  Mix ingredients in a food processor.  My food processor decided it didn't want to work.  It's fine, I'll just transfer it to the blender.  I think this is where it went wrong.  Most of my ingredients fell on the floor during this process. 

While blender-ing you slowly add in 1/3 cup of beer.  I opened a Sam Adam's Light when I started the recipe but had to open another by the time I got to this step.  After the beer... 7 tbsps of olive oil.  SEVEN?! I think I could've put three and we would've been OK. 

Flour hands and counter (and floor and chair and stove if you have containment issues when it comes to flour), roll dough into a tight ball and loosely cover with saran wrap for about 10 minutes.  When the dough is ready, slice in two and roll out into 9-inch circle. 

Now, heat some olive oil in a skillet till it just starts to smoke.  Add dough and make sure to poke holes in any bubbles.  This is the fun part!

Cook until bottom is golden-brown and then flip!  They made the flipping part look easy but my crust did not want to stay together because it was ultra-flaky.  I like flaky so it worked for me. 

After you flip, immediately add 1/2 the cheese and tomatoes and put the lid on so the cheese will melt in the time the bottom browns. 

This is where we run into issues with the fat-free cheese.  Because it is made from... ?... it doesn't melt in the heat our ovens and stoves produce.  Nuclear energy might be able to melt it.  Maybe.   Finished product:

I definitely want to try the crust again but experiment with my own toppings.  I didn't think it had a whole lot of flavor.  Maybe I'll try putting meat on it as well, though that would require another skillet. 

Let me know if you guys try it and how it works for you!