Thursday, September 24, 2009

Quick Homemade Pizza


It’s really fun to make homemade pizza.  This recipe is easy and fast to make, because you don’t have to let the crust rise.  This is thin crust pizza, so don’t go too heavy on the toppings or the crust will get soggy.  You can make a couple of batches of crust and freeze the extra for later.  Enjoy!






Thin Crust Pizza

0.25 oz package active dry yeast
¼ teaspoon granulated sugar
¾ cup warm (110 degree) water
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon olive oil

Topping ingredients:  I like to use a pesto-tomato sauce (see recipe below), sliced fresh mozzarella, sliced kalamata olives, fresh basil, and arugula.


  1. Dissolve the sugar and yeast in the warm water; allow to rest 8 minutes.

  1. In a separate bowl, combine the flour and salt.

  1. Pour yeast mixture over flour mixture.  Add the olive oil.  Mix well.

  1. Empty the dough onto a floured surface and knead for 2 min.  You DO NOT need to let this dough rise.  Note:  if you are making extra dough to freeze for later, roll the extra dough into a ball.  Place dough in a freezer bag (leave a little extra room when sealing the bag, because the dough may rise a little bit before it freezes).  Freeze.  Thaw in the fridge completely and continue at step 5 when ready to make the pizza.

  1. Press (or roll) the dough into an approx. 12” circle.

  1. Place the dough on a lightly greased pizza pan and stretch the dough to the edges. 

  1. Top pizza with your choice of toppings.  I like to spread a light layer of sauce over the pizza, then top with slices of fresh mozzarella, sliced kalamata olives, and sliced fresh basil.

  1. Bake in a 400 degree oven for approx. 10-12 minutes, or until edges are golden and cheese is bubbling.

  1. I like to add fresh arugula to the pizza after taking it out of the oven.  The pizza is hot enough that it will wilt the arugula.


For a super easy Pesto-Tomato Pizza Sauce, mix equal parts tomato paste and pesto sauce.  You can use store bought pesto sauce, or make your own using my recipe from this previous post .