Carmelized Onion and Fig Pizza

Tonight was pizza night. It happens every summer when figs are in the farmers markets -- this pizza is all I want to make! I made a different dough than the one I've used before, because tonight I was hoping for a no-rise dough. I based my recipe on one that I found on the fabulous blog, Once Upon A Plate (which, incidentally, also has some great summer cocktail recipes, if such things are of interest to you!). Anyway, here is my version of the dough:

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon of SAF quick-rise yeast
3/4 cup very warm water (not boiling -- will kill the yeast!)
1/2 teaspoon honey
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
carmelized onions
figs
pizza sauce (mine came from Trader Joe's, admittedly)

To make the dough, let the yeast activate in the warm water for a good ten to fifteen minutes. I added the honey to this mixture in the last few minutes. When the yeast mixture has an oatmeal-like consistency, you're ready to pour the mixture into your dry ingredients, namely the flour and the salt. Using a wooden spoon, stir it around a few times, and when a dough starts to form, use your hands to knead it into a giant boule, or mini-boules -- up to you. (I made three mini-boules from this batch). That's about it! If you've never made pizza before, you'll want to flour your rolling surface to roll out the dough; I also use about a tablespoon of cornmeal to prevent the dough from sticking. And as you roll, you just want to try to make the dough as thin as possible without breaking the dough. If your dough is thicker than a quarter of an inch... keep rolling it out! I use a rolling pin, although some people have sworn that a rolling pin kills the yeast... oh well : ) I certainly can't pretend that I know how to toss a pizza in the air, and when I've used my fingers, the dough comes out unevenly -- but give both techniques a try...! In any case, once your dough is rolled, use your pizza sauce solicitously (too much will create a soggy dough), and add your toppings. Bake at 450 (or even 500 if you want a really crisp crust) for 10 to 15 minutes. Yum!