We like to think we are healthy, but, well, pizza. Pizza is our go-to quick and easy dinner when we don’t really feel like cooking. I don’t mean delivery, although that would be quicker for most people. We live in the boonies and I’m not even sure we have a delivery place that will come out here. If we do, it’s certainly not very good. The main reason I make our pizza from scratch is because it’s so easy and it tastes SO MUCH BETTER! The dough is intimidating for a lot of people, but I promise this yeasted dough is simple and takes about 5 minutes to mix up. It needs to rise, but the rising time is so flexible, the dough can be made before work and can sit for the day until dinner time. It can also be mixed up an hour or two before dinner and will rise enough to be used. Like I said, so easy.

easy homemade pizza

Dough

1 cup lukewarm water
2 1/4 tbsp yeast (1 packet)
2 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
3 cups flour (I usually mix unbleached and wheat. If you do more than half wheat flour, the dough gets a little heavy and dense)

ADVERTISEMENT

Whisk yeast into warm water in medium bowl. Let dissolve and sit for a few minutes. Mix in olive oil. Combine flour and salt, then add to wet ingredients. Stir with wooden spoon until it starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Turn onto floured surface and knead for 2-3 minutes, until smooth. Oil sides of mixing bowl, turn dough in oil and cover bowl with a dish cloth. Let rise in warm spot, either on the counter or in an oven with the pilot light on. If it’s a cool day I usually turn my electric oven on to preheat for about 30-60 seconds and then turn it off and put the bowl in there. It stays warm enough for at least a few hours for the dough to rise.

Pizza1_edited-1

Putting the pizza together

When the dough is about twice the original size, preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

I use a pizza stone, but a cookie sheet will do in a pinch. Flour the stone or cookie sheet and flatten dough into a fairly thin circle, about 1/8-1/4 inch thick. We like thick crust pizza, so I leave about a 1/2 inch edge that is thicker than the rest of the pizza. My favorite pizza sauce is Boboli. It comes in a box with three pre-measured packets. One is perfect for this recipe. I spread the sauce across the pizza with a rubber spatula. Then sprinkle mozzarella cheese in whatever thickness is perfect for your family.

I usually put the pizza in the oven for about 5 minutes before I add the toppings, but we don’t use meat. Toppings such as basil, spinach, or anything really delicate will burn at the high temperature, so they only need to be in for a minute or two. Our favorite toppings are fresh tomatoes, basil and garlic mixed with a bit of olive oil. We often add another kind of cheese. Fresh, homemade goat cheese is the best, but this should be added after the pizza is cooked. Goat cheese dries out in the oven. It is best sprinkled onto  the pizza when it’s hot and already cooked.

pizza

The total cooking time is about 10-12 minutes, or until the crust is slightly brown and the cheese has started to really brown. It should cool for at least 5-10 minutes before eating, if you can stand to wait. Otherwise cutting becomes messy and cheese gets everywhere! One pizza will feed two adults and a small child, but leftovers are wonderful so if it’s more than just the two of us, we often make two.