I've been intrigued by the Cook's Country "St. Louis Style" pizza. Kneading is a few times so not totally "no knead" but that's not a big deal. No cook sauce. Crisp crust. Sure looks good to me. SAUCE 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce 3 tablespoons tomato paste 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil 1 tablespoon sugar 2 teaspoons dried oregano CHEESE 2 cups shredded white American cheese 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese 3 drops liquid smoke DOUGH 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons cornstarch 2 teaspoons sugar 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons water 2 tablespoons olive oil Here is a link that might be useful: Video and directions from Cook's Country

I make not a pizza but something which is a similar idea, although a little breadier below and without cheese. Called a 'coca', it can also be described as a Mallorcan pizza. It needs no special pan, other than an oblong oven tray or cookie sheet and no stone in the oven and is simple to make. This is one version of the delicious cocas prepared on the Spanish Balearic Islands. They are sold in nearly every bakery and are often eaten out of hand while standing up in the bakery, as a breakfast on the way to work, or as an afternoon snack on the way home or after school. They are usually eaten at room temperature and make wonderful side dishes for a cold summer buffet, picnic or evening snack. There are many variations of coca and in winter the peppers may be substituted by Swiss chard or spinach and without tomatoes. Here is one recipe which is also know as 'Coca de Trempó'. Often the red peppers are skinned and in strips, and accompanied on top of the coca by artichoke hearts, olives and anchovies. This would be called 'Coca Amb Pebres', where 'pebres' are the red peppers in the Mallorquin dialect. Vegetable Tart - Coca de Verduras (From the Island of Mallorca) Ingredients for 4 people: 4 cups (500 grams) all purpose flour 1 oz (25 grams) fresh yeast or 1 pkg dry yeast 4 TBS olive oil 1/4 cup (2 oz or 50 grams) lard 3 medium Italian sweet green peppers or green bell peppers cut in small pieces 3 spring onions - cut in small pieces including all the stalk 3 ripe medium sized tomatoes- sliced finely 1 clove of garlic - sliced finely 1 handful of Italian flatleaf parsley, chopped 1 TBS of sweet red paprika salt water - 1 cup lukewarm 1) Turn on the oven and set temperature at 375 F (191 C) 2) Put the warm water in a mixing bowl (preferrable one of porcelain or terracotta) and dissolve the yeast in it. 3) Add the lard and the olive oil. Add the flour gradually, mixing in by hand until the mixture leaves the side of the bowl. 4) Form a ball and let it rest for a few minutes while you prepare the vegetables. 5) Chop and slice vegetables into a large bowl, add the paprika and some salt and mix all together. 6) Lightly oil either a round pan of about 13" diameter (32 Cm) or a rectangular pan 13" x 11" (32 Cm x 27 Cm) both with a depth of approx 1/2 inch (1 cm). A cookie sheet or oven tray would be ideal. 7) Place dough in centre and carefully stretch it out with palms of hands, patting to fit pan, keeping an even thickness. It should be thin. 8) Arrange vegetables evenly on top of the dough, drizzling at the same time with olive oil and salt. 9) Put coca into oven for about 1 hour or until crust is lightly golden and vegetables are cooked. After taking it out of the oven, drizzle a little more olive oil on top. 10) You can eat this hot or cold. In winter the vegetables may be swiss chard or spinach, substituting the peppers, but also used raw and finely chopped. Source: translated from "Cocina Balear" Ana Maria Calera Editorial Everest - Leon (España) SharonCb

I think I'll try the dry pan method for the mushrooms next time. I made another pizza last night, precooking the dough with dry cheese on top first and then added an extremely thin layer of sauce. I also added quite a bit of chopped fresh basil, two mushrooms sliced very thinly (for a 17" pizza), some black olives, and two jalapeños also sliced very thinly. On the top I used regular mozzarella instead of fresh, and it got very brown in the oven at 550° for 9 minutes. There was still a bit more moisture than I wanted, although the cheese was very dry and almost chewy. I didn't try the ricotta, although it is definitely drier than the fresh mozzarella. I'm not quite there yet, but I'm getting closer. Before I was making pizza with a thinner crust and using a lot less on top of it. Maybe I should go back to that method, although it is a bit tricker to get the dough stretched out. I bought the pizza peel myself, and it is aluminum. I might buy another one that is all wood. Lars

First, thank you all for your input. Really appreciate your comments and suggestions. Second, my answer: Why do I wear black while working with white flour? Simple. My mind is warped. Have you heard of Mr. Abby Normal? I have his brain. :-) If I wear black, the white flour will show up better. I will know exactly where to dust them off. You canâÂÂt do that if you wear white. (Applause! Applause! Applause!-- :-). Yes, this method uses very little dry flour, and the serving tray idea makes it better. You will notice that even when I flip the entire tray upside down, there was no problem. LetâÂÂs face it, pizza is the easiest thing to make. There is no skill involved. Make/buy the dough, make/buy the sauce, spread the sauce and dump some toppings, use a correct pan, and bake it at the correct temperature. A ten year old kid, as many have, can make a very respectable pizza the first time. I have been observing the home pizza making âÂÂindustryâÂÂ. The biggest challenge for most people is in the shaping of the dough. I feel that a properly shaped pie will add to the enjoyment. Many people can somehow maneuver to get some kind of malformed pie if they are making a small one. But to make a full size commercial pie, it gets very tricky. With this method, as you can see from the video, there is no skill involved. 4 minutes for a well shaped full size pie is not too bad. I can actually get one done in a little more then two minutes. My record was ý hour for 8 full size pies (two baking cycles, 40 minutes) for a backyard party. Used lotâÂÂs of wax paper to stack the dough. Ann is correct that a rolling pin is used often as well as many other methods. There are thousands of instruction videos out there. Except the real profession techniques which all require lots of practicing, and I have yet to come across quick and easy ways to make a good size pie with good results by an inexperienced pizza maker. Using a silicone bake matt, again you can see from the video, unlike using a bare rolling pin very little dusting with flour is needed. Especially I like wetter dough for my pies. And if you use a serving tray like I did, very little counter space is needed for a full size pie. Try turning a large pie on your kitchen counter. Clean up is a snap with the tray. A restaurant size serving tray is a great thing to have for many other uses. BTW, you can also do a Sicilian pizza with this method. ItâÂÂs a dumb azz, a no pizzazz, no jazz pizza making method with Finezze (Applause! Applause! Applause!-- :-). dcarch Oh, Teresa, the tattoo is not a rocker. It is a skull design with this caption âÂÂBORN TO RAISE DOUGHâ arlinek, I didnâÂÂt see your post until now. I will answer later. Just got back from work. I need to eat first.