Mini Pizzas with Homemade ‘Oaty’ Crust

While making bread at home is no big deal to some people, I still have this inexplainable reservation or maybe ‘fear’ towards making my own bread. I have had homemade breads many times, often generously gifted from friends.  I love the freshness in homemade breads and find them to be unexpectedly addictive. While I’m pretty sure there is no butter in my friends’ bread recipes (or  perhaps they could lie about them), I can somehow taste the butteriness”  in homemade breads. I guess my tastebuds could have been playing tricks on me.

Since baking a bread is my self-induced handicap, along with my inability to overtake a heavy vehicle on a highway or riding a bicycle (don’t laugh!), I have to find ways to get around it like making pizza on toast or in this instance, a makeshift crust using  ingredients from the breakfast compartment of your pantry i.e. oats, bran cereal and eggs. No yeast, no waiting for the dough to rise nor kneading the dough – factors which make me feel lazy at the thought of making bread!

Mini Pizzas with Homemade ‘Oaty’ Crust

(roughly adapted from Hungry Girl by Lisa Lillien)

Make about 9 mini pizzas

Prep time: 20 minutes

Bake time: 30 minutes

Ingredients for Crust:

• 1 cup instant oats
• 1 cup bran cereal
• 3 eggs
• A pinch of salt
• 1 tsp dried oregano (any italian spices of your choice)

Ingredients for Toppings:

• 1 tomato, thinly sliced
• 3/4 cup shredded cheese
• Fresh ground black pepper
• Oil (I’ve oil spray)
• 1 tbsp pizza sauce (or tomato paste added with some italian spices, pasta sauce or pesto)

Method:

• Preheat oven to 180 degree C / 356 degrees F.
• Combine all the crust ingredients in a food processor. Process until the mixture resembles damp breadcrumbs.
• Work the dough over a parchment paper. Please note the mixture is a little sticky so moisten your hands with some oil.
• Sandwich the dough between 2 parchment paper and flatten to your desired thickness with a rolling pin.
• Use a cookie cutter to create the mini pizza crusts and place on a parchment paper lined baking tray. Alternatively, you can make one large pizza in order to save time.
• Bake the crust for 15 minutes. Set aside.
• To complete the pizza: Spread the pizza sauce over the crusts followed by cheese, tomato slices, and black pepper. Then spray a thin layer of oil over the toppings before baking
• Bake for 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Serve immediately.