This is the easy (and I do mean easy: no kneading and only 20 minute rest before shaping and topping!) pizza dough that I have made for more than 15 years. I've seen the recipe floating around the 'net, but haven't seen anyone give credit to the source I found it from. I got it originally in the most inauspicious of places: the old Betty Crocker cookbook we received for our wedding in 1988 (well, that sorta dates me, huh?).
Honestly, it takes less time to make, start to finish than going and ordering one. And the cost is less than $5 depending on your toppings (a regular pepperoni comes in at less than $3!) compared to $15-$20 at a pizza chain.
But one of the best things about the recipe in the Betty Crocker book is that it gave directions for making the dough into 7 individual pizzas, about 6-inches each. This has become one of our favorite meals to do with guests - especially families with children and people we're having over for the first time (and may not know likes, food intolerance's, etc.).
I prebake the crusts, line up all the toppings, and everyone goes through the line choosing only what they want on their pizza. This really takes the stress out of hosting new families and makes it fun.
The only "rule" I stress with them is that they have to do something to the top of their pizza (olive in the middle, using peppers to make initial, etc.) so they will recognize it when it comes out of the oven! We learned this the hard way...
Ok, lets begin at the beginning. Add the yeast to the warm water, stirring to dissolve.
Add the salt and sugar.
Add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil.
Add the flour. I use 1/2 whole wheat or spelt, and half unbleached wheat flour. I've made it with 100% spelt before for my niece with a wheat sensitivity with good success.
Mix it with the regular paddle attachment (or by hand for about 20-30 strokes) until it cleans the sides of the bowl.
Leave it to rest for about 20 minutes. I've let it rest for less time (read: none) and longer, and it turns out fine. It just has nicer edges and is easier to roll if it rests for about 20 minutes.
Actually, I think the original recipe said only 10, but I liked the texture better with a longer rest (does it become a "rise" at that point?)
It will have risen a bit at the end of the 20 minutes, but it won't have doubled in size.
Now, for the individual pizzas, I separate the dough into 7 equal pieces and kinda round them a little bit (like I did for the pita bread here). Then I use a pan with a liner (or a baking stone, but mine broke...) and place a little bit of cornmeal at each spot I want a pizza. I stagger them on the pan to be able to fit four.
Then I shape each one on top of the cornmeal.
If I'm just making one pizza (and when I want it to go fast, which is most of the time...) I just use a little cornmeal on a pizza pan, rectangular baking sheet. The round baking stone made the best crust, but like I said, mine broke and I haven't remembered to replace it yet!
They will puff in the oven, so I like to make an nice edge and make sure the center is fairly thin and even for cooking.
It's OK if the edges touch, they all aren't perfectly round, but that's the joy of homemade: we're embracing imperfection!
Cook them in a 425 degree oven for about 10 minutes. Some may puff up in one spot- I just push it down when I take it out of the oven. It doesn't matter for the end result. I like to make sure the tops are brown, but the bottoms are only lightly brown, so they won't burn when we cook them later with the toppings.
This is what they look like after about 10 minutes (yes, I know its a different pan- the other had already disappeared!). Place them on a rack to cool.
These should be made in advance if you're using them for guests. If it's just a few hours they can sit out on the rack, if it is overnight I'd put them in a large baggie. I've also refrigerated them for a few days and have frozen them as well and they've turned out great.
When its time to top the crusts, I line up the choices with the sauces and cheese first and then the toppings. We usually have a choice of tomato or pesto sauces, and two kinds of meat.
This is a meal we did the other night for my daughter's sleepover.
Six 13 year-old girls. For 24 hours. And that's all I'm gonna say about that...
I pulled out things I had in the freezer and pantry (bought at low prices, of course!), and this night it consisted of: tomato sauce ($1), pesto made that day from the garden, shredded cheese blend ($1.19), Italian sausage ($1.49 on markdown), prosciutto (1/3 of a $2.99 package), olives (.25), onions (garden), canned artichokes ($2.29), and homecanned roasted red peppers from last fall (garden).
So pizza night for eight people for around $8.00. Not bad!
My husband and I loaded our up with all the toppings. After they are topped, I put them back in the 425 degree oven for about 7 to 10 minutes. This really depends on the toppings (just cheese is the least amount of time), and how many are in the oven (I usually rotate the pans), so you need to just keep checking.
I was curious to see what the girls would do. Would they use any of the veggies (well, one would, 'cause she's a vegetarian- and this is an easy meal to accommodate that).
These are four of the girl's pizzas - it's easy to spot the vegetarian!
I have to say I wasn't surprised, so I had a platter of carrots, snap peas, celery, and broccoli with dip for them to eat while waiting for their pizzas to cook, and most of them DID eat some of these. :-)
Super Easy Dough for Individual (or Regular Large) Pizzas
- 1 package dry yeast (or 1 scant tablespoon)
- 1 cup warm water (just from the tap)
- 1 t. sugar
- 1 t. salt
- 1-2 Tb. olive oil
- 2-1/2 cups flour
- Dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir in remaining ingredients.
- Beat with a mixer until the dough pulls away from the edges (or by hand vigorously for 20-30 strokes). Let rest 15-20 minutes.
- For individual pizzas: pull of 7 equal balls and flatten and shape into small pizzas on a cookie sheet sprinkled with a little cornmeal. Three to four should fit on a sheet.
- Partially cook the small pizzas for about 10 minutes in a 425 degree oven. Remove to a rack to cool.
- Have each person top a pizza as they wish, place it back on the cookie sheet, and cook for another 7-10 minutes or until cheese is melted and toppings are done.
- For one large pizza: on a pan (pizza, baking stone, or cookie sheet), sprinkle some cornmeal and spread to the edges of the pan.
- Top with sauce, cheese and toppings and cook in a 425 degree oven for about 15 minutes or until done. Cook it on the lowest rack setting so that the bottom crust is closest to the element. If you want a lot of vegetables, which are "wet", you may wish to prebake the large crust for 10 minutes first, like the small ones, to make sure the center of the pizza gets all the way done.
For more frugal tips and recipes, visit LifeasMOM.com's Frugal Friday.
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