014 / 75 · Cupboard Suppers

Oat-Crust Pan Pizza with Tomato and Cheddar

1 ten-inch/25 cm pizza, cut into 6 wedges; 2 wedges per serving · Active 25 min · Total 50 min

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This is a pressed oat crust, so there is no yeast to wake up and no stretchy dough to throw. Ground oats and a little flour make a firm base that needs its first bake before the tomato goes on. A reduced sauce and measured cheese finish it without burying the crust under wet toppings.

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Hand-drawn tomato and cheddar pizza with a rustic oat crust in a skillet.

A useful role for ordinary oats

Use plain rolled oats and grind them quite finely before mixing. Large intact flakes make the base harder to press into an even layer and can create weak edges when the pizza is lifted. This crust has a short, grainy bite rather than the chew of a risen wheat dough. That difference is part of the recipe; adding extra flour in pursuit of a conventional pizza texture will make it heavy.

Reduce the sauce before assembly

A small tin portion of tomato is enough when it is cooked down with onion. Stir until a spoon drawn through the sauce leaves a brief clear track across the pan. Loose tomato liquid soaks into a pressed crust quickly, especially if toppings are added before the base has dried in its first bake. Keep the remaining rim uncovered so there is a clear crisp edge to hold.

One pan, three supper portions

Use a genuinely oven-safe skillet or metal pizza pan at the stated diameter. A wider pan spreads this amount of dough too thinly; a smaller one leaves a thick center that takes longer to cook. Rest the finished pizza briefly before cutting, then serve two wedges to each person. This makes practical use of a bag of oats and a modest amount of cheese without requiring another specialized flour.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups plain rolled oats (120 g)
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (90 g)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder (4 g)
  • 3/4 teaspoon fine salt (4.5 g), divided: 1/2 teaspoon for crust and 1/4 teaspoon for sauce
  • 1 large egg (50 g without shell)
  • 1/3 cup milk (80 ml)
  • 2 tablespoons neutral oil (30 ml), divided: 1 tablespoon/15 ml for dough, 1 teaspoon/5 ml for pan and 2 teaspoons/10 ml for sauce
  • 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped (75 g prepared)
  • 1 garlic clove, minced (3 g prepared)
  • 3/4 cup canned crushed tomatoes (180 g)
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano (1 g)
  • 1 cup grated cheddar (100 g)

Set out

blender or food processor for grinding oats, mixing bowl, 10-inch/25 cm oven-safe skillet or metal pizza pan, small saucepan, spoon and spatula, grater, oven mitts, knife or pizza cutter

Allergens

wheat, egg, milk. Check labels and substitutions.

Make it

  1. Heat the oven to 425°F/220°C. Grease the oven-safe skillet or pizza pan with the measured 1 teaspoon/5 ml oil. Grind the rolled oats to a fairly fine meal.
  2. Mix ground oats, flour, baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon/3 g salt. Stir in egg, milk and 1 tablespoon/15 ml oil until a firm moist dough forms. Rest for 5 minutes, then press evenly over the pan base, leaving a slightly raised rim.
  3. Bake the bare crust for 13–15 minutes, until the surface looks dry and feels firm when gently touched with a spatula. It is not yet the final golden color.
  4. While the base bakes, heat the final 2 teaspoons/10 ml oil in the small saucepan. Cook onion for 5 minutes, add garlic for 30 seconds, then add tomatoes, oregano and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon/1.5 g salt. Simmer for 7–8 minutes until thick enough for a spoon to leave a brief track on the pan base.
  5. Using oven mitts, remove the crust. Spread over the thick sauce, leaving a 1/2-inch/1 cm rim, then add all the cheese. Return to the oven for 10–12 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the crust edge is golden.
  6. Rest in the pan for 5 minutes. Cut into 6 wedges and divide 2 wedges per serving. Handle the skillet as hot even after the short rest.

Pan capacity matters

A ten-inch pan is part of the method, not a styling suggestion. The same dough in a much smaller pan makes a thicker and slower-cooking base.

Ingredient labels

This recipe contains wheat flour even though oats are the main grain. Check oats, baking powder and cheese labels for additional allergens.

A useful detail

Ground oats absorb liquid during the five-minute rest. Press the rested mixture rather than trying to knead or stretch it like yeast dough.

Another way

  • Replace the onion with 75 g finely diced bell pepper, cooking it until softened before adding tomato.
  • Replace half the cheddar with 50 g grated mozzarella for a softer, stringier top; keep the total cheese at 100 g so the base is not overloaded.

Keep it well

Cool and refrigerate wedges within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F/32°C, at 40°F/4°C or below. Use within 3 days. Reheat on a metal tray in a 375°F/190°C oven until the middle reaches 165°F/74°C; a microwave heats it but softens the crust.