This delicious flatbread is a great recipe to wind down with after a long day of work.
If you like your pizza crust with an extra crunch, you can pre-bake it without toppings (or only tomato sauce) for about 5 minutes in the preheated oven.
If you plan on topping your pizza with a lot of fatty meats or juicy vegetables, brushing on a thin layer of olive oil base can help with containing the moisture during baking.
Raw or fatty meats aren’t going to get fully cooked from a few minutes atop a pizza in the oven. Always pre-cook and drain vegetables that release water while cooking, such as mushrooms.
Exceptions: thin cut pepperoni and prosciutto and some thinly sliced vegetables are fine to top raw.
Use the dough right out of the refrigerator and don’t let it sit on the countertop for too long.
Unroll and keep dough on parchment paper while baking. Paper is oven safe up to 500°F and paper will brown during baking. Cut off or tuck excess paper under the dough, so it isn’t hanging over the baking sheet.
Cutting the dough: If you need to cut the dough, place it on a cutting board to avoid scratching your baking sheet or countertop. If cutting the dough on the baking sheet, ideally use a pizza cutter.
To unroll the dough, remove dough from package and gently separate the dough and parchment paper from the roll, so that the dough on paper begins to lay flat. Be careful not to separate the dough from the parchment paper. There may be some sticking, but the dough and paper should easily pull away from the roll.
Once the dough is lying flat on the baking tray, cut off or tuck any excess paper under, so it does not hang over the edge.
The fastest way to a crispy and chewy crust is cooking the dough directly on a heated surface. Make sure the oven is fully preheated and already hot. A pizza stone or even a simple sheet pan needs ample time to pre-heat. Pizza and Flatbread can also be cooked on a non-heated sheet pan, but always in a pre-heated oven.
You can brush the dough edges with olive oil. Do it right before it goes in the oven and/or right after it comes out. You'll get great color, crunch and flavor.
1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Unroll the refrigerated Flatbread Dough and, keeping it on the parchment paper, place on a baking sheet. Rub the top with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt.
3. Bake for 10-12 minutes, then remove to cool slightly (keep oven on).
4. To make the toasted almonds: pour them onto a rimmed baking sheet and roast them at 350°F for 5 minutes, stirring halfway through. Remove immediately to a bowl to cool. Or, pour them into a small skillet and place over medium-low heat. Stir frequently and toast for 4-5 minutes. They burn quite easily, so watch them carefully.
5. Meanwhile, cut the roasted red peppers into bite-sized strips and dab with a paper towel to remove excess oil.
6. Cut the mozzarella into small pieces.
7. Once the flatbread is cool enough to handle, rub the pesto over the top, then add the roasted red pepper strips followed by the mozzarella.
8. Return to the oven to melt cheese slightly, about 3-4 minutes.
9. Remove from oven and scatter slivered almonds over the top. Serve warm.
10. Optional: to make your own roasted red peppers, get two red bell peppers and cut the tops and bottoms off. Cut out the seeds from the middle, and cut the peppers in half so you have two large pieces. Do this for both peppers. On a foil lined baking sheet, broil on high for 7-10 minutes until blackened. Remove to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. When peppers are still hot but cool enough to handle, carefully pull off the skins and return to bowl. Mix with olive oil and a pinch of salt and set aside.