(Background – Optional Reading) Bread has always been one of my favorite foods, especially when I was a kid.  I experimented with the soft white bread that my family always had at home.  I would cut off the crusts and toast them separately.  I smushed the middle of the slices flat or rolled it into balls and put them in the oven to toast.  I also tried rolling the flat pieces with jellies and preserves, etc.  Many of my “creations” were less than successful, but it was fun trying. 

Somewhere along the line in my adulthood, I started experimenting with a microwave to remove the moisture out of breads to make them crispy. (Crispy baking products are also some of my favorites.) There were many failures along the way, mostly burnt pieces of bread.  Finally, I got the hang of it and now I make my own croutons from my favorite 12-grain bread – mostly to eat as a snack.

Lately, I have been trying to do the same with the soft flour tortillas which are available at any supermarket in various sizes.  Once I figured out how to dehydrate them in the microwave without burning them, I found that they make delightful super thin, extremely crispy snacks which I really enjoy.  One day I dehydrated one of the biggest tortillas – burrito size – I got the idea that the finished product might make a good crust for a personal sized pizza, so I tried it out – success!

Recipe:

What you will need to make the crust:

·         Soft flour tortilla – the large burrito size (usually 10” across – I use Mission brand tortillas)

·         Thick, soft cloth (a clean dish towel will do nicely)

·         Microwave oven

·         Clean flat surface (a clean countertop will work)

What we are going to be doing is using the microwave to dehydrate the tortilla while keeping its flat shape. To do this we will have to heat the tortilla several times at intervals in a microwave so we can drive out the moisture without burning it.

To do this put the tortilla flat on the microwave floor or spinning plate to heat it up for the prescribed times shown below. (The times are for a 1200 Watt microwave. If yours is an 1100 or 1000 Watt model you may need to adjust the times accordingly.)  In the microwave bubbles will form in the tortilla and may crinkle up a bit as well.  Our intention is to make it flat again after each heating.  

Flattening the tortilla after each heating:  Once the microwave heating cycle is completed, immediately remove the tortilla from the microwave and place it on the flat surface and cover it with the cloth.  While it is still hot, flatten the tortilla with your hands through the cloth.  (The cloth will protect your hands from the hot tortilla.)  Turn the tortilla over, cover it with the cloth, and flatten it again.  Once the tortilla is totally flat it is ready for the next heating cycle – follow the instructions below.  

·         Heat the tortilla in the microwave oven for 1 minute, then flatten.

·         Heat the tortilla for 45 seconds, then flatten.

·         Allow Tortilla to cool to room temperature.

·         Heat the tortilla for 30 seconds, then flatten. 

·         Heat the tortilla for 30 seconds, then flatten.

·         Allow Tortilla to cool to room temperature.

·         Heat the tortilla for 20 seconds, then flatten. 

Note:  At this point the tortilla should be crisp, but it may still have to moisture which will need to be removed. 

·         Repeat heating the tortilla for 20 seconds, then flattening it several times if necessary until it no longer bubbles up or distorts in shape while heating.  Once it reaches this point, most of the moisture will have removed and the crust is ready for pizza making.

( I usually make at least two crusts at the same time so that I have one tortilla heating in the microwave while flattening the one that I just heated.)

The crust can be used right away, or it can be stored in a gallon-sized zip-lock bag until it is needed.  There is no need to refrigerate.  Since it is almost totally dry it will last for a long time without deteriorating.  By the way, the unused tortilla will remain fresh in their ziplocked bag in your refrigerator for a long time as well. 

Making your pizzas

·         Prepare the ingredients you want to use on your pizza beforehand.  This might include cutting up vegetables, at least partially cook meat, etc.  (You don’t want the crust to get soggy while you prepare your ingredients.)  

·         Set your oven to bake at 400 degrees. 

·         Spread a thin coating of your favorite sauce on top of your crust. (I like to use either my favorite store-bought spaghetti or alfredo sauce, but it is your preference.)

·         Apply your ingredients on the crust (I like to use cut up thin slices of tomato, bell pepper, and onions and sometimes I also use thin slices of cooked chicken, but you can use anything you have on hand that looks like it might be good on a pizza.)

·         Cover ingredients and sauce lightly with your favorite shredded cheese.

·         Place the pizza on a pizza stone on the center rack of your oven and bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.  (If you don’t have a pizza stone you can bake directly on the center rack of your oven, but you will have to decrease baking time – watch closely to avoid overcooking, and you might want to place a baking dish on a level below pizza to catch possible drippings.  You can also cook your pizza in your microwave until the cheese is melted and your ingredients have reached the desired level of tenderness.)

·         Let cool for a minute, cut it up and enjoy.  (Serves one hungry person or two light eaters.)

By the way, you can make smaller pizza crusts by using smaller size tortillas.  You can also make your own croutons by cutting your favorite bread into chunks and use the same microwave drying method described above.  However, depending on the amount of moisture in your bread you will probably want to increase your early microwave times.  For very moist bread I usually use two and a half minutes for my first microwave heating duration, decreasing subsequent heating times from there while letting the bread return to room temperature in between intervals in the microwave. (Of course, you won’t need to flatten the croutons after microwaving.)  

Cajun (Rick Guilbeau)