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I despised pizza as a child. For some reason bread, tomato sauce, and cheese held no appeal. And the ring of dry, flavorless crust attached to every single slice? Disgusting. Even into adulthood, as I eventually built up a love for the pie, I happily left the crust behind as a spent handle for the edible part. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Crust shouldn’t be left behind. Take matters into your own hands and flavor your pizza crust.
Sometime after culinary school, I became obsessed with making pizza at home, and though my pizzas were fantastic—even the dough made from scratch—the edge crust was still lacking. I don’t remember what spurred this change, but I started treating the crust like a different component of the pizza, deserving of its own special toppings. First I started with a simple swipe of olive oil, and the pizza would cook with its very own accompaniment of frybread. Then I started adding garlic powder. Garlic salt. Onion powder. Sesame seeds. The crust suddenly became the exciting part to experiment with—and eat.
Although a few pizzerias are hip to seasoned crust, I think overall there’s still a big opportunity missed here. At least when you’re slingin’ pies at home, you’re in charge. To make the very best pizza, season the crust. You don’t have to be extreme (though adding hot dogs is never a bad idea), but start with a few seasonings that you like.
First, build your pizza as usual, with sauce, cheese, and toppings. Then pour a bit of oil into a small bowl. Vegetable or olive oil is fine, whatever you have handy. Use a pastry brush (or your fingers) and swipe the oil all around the outer crust. This will give the crust flavor, aid browning, and most importantly, help the seasonings stick. Sprinkle on spices, seeds, or even extra bits of cheese. Try garlic salt for a garlic bread vibe, or everything bagel seasoning. Sometimes I’ll even add finely chopped cooked bacon.
Whatever you add, I do recommend a sprinkle of salt if it isn’t already included in the mix. If you have a family of crust-abandoners, sit back and watch how that changes. Just when you thought it wasn’t possible, pizza night is about to become even more popular.
