Who doesn’t love a good pizza? It’s so versatile, it can go from being a one-bite appetizer to an entire meal that includes greens! What’s not to love?
If you’ve never made a homemade pizza, with Monday, February 9 being National Pizza Day, there’s no better time to try. The options for making your own pizza are as varied as the places that deliver take-out, so there’s no excuse not to attempt this at least once. From chewy deep-dish to crispy flatbread, you have a ton of options to choose from. And these two recipes are so quick and easy to prepare, there’s no reason you can’t have homemade pizza on a weeknight in the same amount of time it takes to cook pasta.
Super-easy Pizza Dough
This is a great recipe for a beginner if you prefer a soft, chewy, bread-like crust and don’t want to wait for the dough to rise. You just mix it and allow it to rest for 5 minutes and then it’s ready to go.
Ingredients:
1 cup warm water (110°F/45°C)
1 (0.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1 teaspoon white sugar
2½ cups bread flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C) and lightly grease a pizza pan or cookie sheet.
2. Place warm water in a bowl. Add yeast and sugar. Mix and let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
3. Add flour, oil and salt to the yeast mixture. Beat until smooth. You can do this either by hand or use a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook.
4. Let dough rest for 5 minutes.
5. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat or roll into a 12-inch circle.
6. Transfer to the prepared pan.
7. Spread crust with sauce and toppings of your choice.
8. Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes before cutting and serving. Yum!
Note: If you don’t have bread flour, you can use all-purpose flour, but the bread flour makes better crust. If you’re using a pizza stone, dust it with cornmeal first so the dough doesn’t stick.
5-minute Flatbread Pizza Crust
If you like a crispy crunch to your pizza and want to make it fast, this is the option for you! If you’re pressed for time, you could even purchase a pre-made store-bought flatbread. But making your own flatbread couldn’t be easier than this recipe which doesn’t even require yeast. Give it a try!
Ingredients:
2½ cups bread flour
½ cup all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ cup olive oil
1 cup warm water
Directions:
1. Combine ingredients. Use a food processor to mix up the crust. Start by adding the flour and salt, and then pulse to mix well. Add olive oil and water, and pulse again.
2. Shape dough. Turn the dough out on to a clean surface lightly dusted with flour. Kneed the dough for a minute or so, and form it into a nice smooth ball. Let it rest for 10 minutes.
3. Roll out dough. Divide the dough into two equal shapes. Then use a rolling pin to roll out each one into a thin shape. You can make it into any shape you prefer.
4. Prep for baking. Transfer shapes on to prepared baking sheets dusted with cornmeal. Brush some olive oil lightly over the tops of the dough. Then use a fork to poke holes throughout to prevent puffing.
5. Bake flatbread. Preheat oven to 475°F (245°C). Pre-bake for approximately 7-8 minutes so they don’t get soggy. Then remove them and add desired toppings. Bake again until cheese is melted and the dough is browned on the bottom, about 8-10 more minutes. And you’re done! Yes, it’s that easy.
Gluten-free Cauliflower Pizza Crust
If you have an intolerance to wheat or have Celiac disease, this gluten-free option is not only fool-proof but super tasty. This recipe produces a crispy crust.
Ingredients:
Two 12-16 ounce packages cauliflower rice
1 large egg
½ cup Parmesan cheese or Mozzarella cheese, grated or shredded
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
⅛ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C) and line baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper.
2. Put riced cauliflower onto a prepared sheet pan or any oven safe baking dish and bake for 15 minutes, or microwave in a microwave-safe bowl for 8 minutes. Transfer cooked cauliflower to a large bowl lined with double layered cheesecloth or linen towel, and let cool for 10-15 minutes or until safe to the touch.
3. Holding onto four corners, twist cauliflower into a ball and squeeze all the liquid out.
4. Increase oven temperature to 450°F (230°C). In a large bowl, add dry cauliflower, egg, cheese, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Mix until combined.
5. Using the same baking pan or pizza stone, line with new parchment paper and spray with cooking spray. Transfer dough to the centre and flatten with your hands until a thin pizza crust of 11 inches in diameter forms. Avoid super-thin edges or they’ll burn.
6. Pre-bake: Bake crust for 20 minutes. If you want it crispier, flip it and bake for a few more minutes.
7. Remove from oven and add your favourite toppings. Bake again until cheese on top melts. Let cool 1-2 minutes before cutting and serving. Enjoy!
Pizza topping ideas
Once your pizza crust is ready to bake, there are two ways to prepare it, either with ready-made pizza sauce or make your own. For speed, I opt for ready-made, and honestly, store-bought sauce can be pretty dang tasty. You can dress it up even more with the addition of herbs like oregano and dried pepper flakes.
You aren’t limited to using traditional tomato sauce, either. There’s pesto, creamy Alfredo-style (if you’re making a chicken version) or even donair. You can go the traditional cheese, pepperoni and mushroom route, but there are so many other options to try, why not experiment? Here are just a few delicious ideas. The combinations are endless.
• Pesto Tomato Pizza Pesto sauce, tomato slices, goat cheese, with an extra drizzle of olive oil after baking. Toss on a bunch of fresh arugula for a little extra pizzazz.
• Margherita Pizza What could be easier than three simple ingredients? Good quality ingredients work best in this one for full flavour. Tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella and fresh basil. Easy peasy.
• BBQ Chicken Pizza BBQ sauce of your choice, cheddar cheese, shredded chicken and red onions. You can make this as mild or spicy as you like.
• Taco Pizza Taco sauce, taco meat (you can season it yourself of use taco seasoning in a pouch from the store), tomato slices, jalapeño slices and cheddar cheese. You can even toss on black olives.
• Donair Pizza Donair sauce, mozzarella cheese and donair meat. Sprinkle chopped fresh onions and tomatoes on top after it comes out of the oven. Drizzle with more sauce. It’s a Canadian thing!
Have fun with your pizza night!