A Quick and Easy Pizza Crust Recipe

It’s always nice when you can plan ahead and have some healthy sourdough pizza crust ready for your baking needs, but sometimes you just need to make a meal right away without all of the prep work. This pizza crust recipe is basic, simple, quick, and still full of delicious and healthy ingredients. It is enough for one large pizza, 2 small pizzas, or 2 trays of pizza muffins.

Ingredients:

1 c. Hot Water
1 t. Raw Honey (You can use regular honey or sugar too. The yeast just needs something to “eat” so it can rise.)
2 T. Coconut Oil (I like to buy my coconut oil in bulk here. You could use olive oil.)
2¼ t. Active Dry Yeast (one package)
2½ c. Freshly Ground Flour (I get my wheat berries here and grind them. You can find some similar here too.)
1 t. Real Salt (I buy my Real Salt in bulk here.)
1 t. Aluminum Free Baking Powder or Baking Soda

Directions:

Water: Get the water as hot as you can and put it into a large bowl.
Coconut Oil, Honey, and Yeast: Add the coconut oil first so that it will melt, then add the honey, yeast, mix, cover with a towel, and let sit for 10 minutes. It should be nice and bubbly when you uncover it.
Water, Honey, Coconut Oil, and Yeast After 10 Minutes
Flour, Salt, and Baking Soda: Stir in the flour, salt, and baking powder or baking soda. (You definitely don’t want to add the salt earlier as it will prevent the yeast from fully activating.) *To give the dough extra flavor, you could also add some garlic powder, onion powder, basil, and oregano at this time.
Notice the Consistency When All Ingredients are Mixed Together
Knead: Grease your hands with coconut oil, and knead the dough until all of the ingredients are mixed together. Add more flour if the dough is too sticky. If it’s too stiff and crumbly, add some water.
Knead Into a Ball
Flatten: Start to flatten the dough.
Flatten the Dough with Your Hands First
Roll the Dough: Make sure there is a nice coating of flour on the countertop and that your dough isn’t too sticky before you start rolling. Start from the center and roll out until your dough is bigger than your pan.
Roll the Dough
Put in Pan: Carefully lift up the dough and place it on your baking sheet allowing to hang over the edges.
Place the Dough on the Baking Sheet
Pinch the Edges: Use your fingers to pinch the edges of the dough until it’s nicely formed.
Form the Edges
Toppings: Add your sauce, cheese, and toppings. For more info on these steps, check out my blog: How to Make a Homemade Pizza.
Add Toppings
Bake: Bake for 15-20 minutes at 450º F (18 minutes usually works for me). Time can vary depending on your oven, number of toppings, etc. When the edges are brown, it’s a good indication it’s done, but if you cut into the middle and it’s still doughy, cook for a few minutes more.
Bake and Serve

In Conclusion

Pizza is a family favorite in this household and when it’s made from scratch, it can be a very healthy addition to any diet. If I have time, I prefer using my sourdough pizza crust to make a pizza, but in a pinch, this quick easy recipe works for me. You might also like to check out my recipe for pizza muffins, which are a really big hit with the kids!

April 25, 2018/0 Comments/by Stacey Maaser

Homemade Pizza Recipe

General, Pizza, Recipes

If everyone is hungry and you haven’t made plans for dinner yet, how about a homemade pizza? If you order out, you’re getting freeze dried toppings, loads of “natural flavors” (i.e. MSG), and not to mention you’ll be out $20 or more. By making your pizza at home, you can guarantee that all of your ingredients are fresh, custom designed to the specific needs of your eaters, and at a significant cost savings to boot.

Pizza Crust

Sourdough Pizza Crust: If you can plan ahead by about 8 hours or so, this sourdough pizza crust will taste great and be free from the mineral leaching phytic acid present in all grains.
Quick and Easy Pizza Crust: If you’re looking for a quick and easy pizza crust that is made with fresh homemade ingredients, this is the recipe for you.

Ingredients

Sauce Options:
- Organic Tomato Sauce: I like finding the little cans that are pre-seasoned with basil and such, but you could use plain tomato sauce and add your own seasonings too.
- Organic Spaghetti Sauce: I try to keep my cupboards stocked with this and use it if I’m in a pinch.
- Tomato Pureé: This is the healthiest option, but it can be a bit watery.
Herbs and Spices: Basil, Oregano, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, and Salt – I like using fresh herbs when I have them, but dried works just as well.)
Mozzarella Cheese (This is the ooey gooey cheese that gives pizza its classic look and taste. You can use just about any cheese and it will taste great though.)
Kid Toppings: Pepperoni, Ground Beef, Lunch Meat, Bacon, etc. (My kids really only like meat toppings.)
Adult Toppings: Jalapeños, Green Pepper, Onion, Mushrooms, Green or Black Olives, Chives, Tomato, etc.

Directions

Crust: Spread the crust out onto a pizza tray like this or a pizza stone like this. I like using a pizza tray with holes for a nice crispy crust.
Pizza Crust
Sauce: If you want to make a pizza that tastes like take out, the trick is to go really really light on the sauce. I prefer it a little thicker though. If I’m using plain tomato sauce, I like to sprinkle some basil, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt over the sauce. *If I’m feeling really fancy, I like to melt some butter in dish, mix in some herbs and salt, and paint over the outer crust.
Buttered Pizza Crust with Sauce
Season: Add the herbs and spices.
Homemade Pizza with Herbs and Spices
Cheese: Add a generous amount of shredded cheese.
Pizza with Cheese
Toppings: Add any toppings you’d like. Sometimes I’ll go with a plain pepperoni pizza, and sometimes I like to get more creative!
Pepperoni Pizza

Half and Half Pizza
Bake: Bake at 450° F for 15-20 minutes. Time will vary based on your oven, altitude, and amount of toppings, but 18 minutes is what usually works best for me.
Cut and Serve: Use a great pizza cutter like this to cut up the pizza into slices and let it cool. You will want to devour this pizza quickly, so make sure it’s had time to cool so you don’t burn the roof of your mouth!
Half Pepperoni Pizza

Variations

The thing I like about making pizza is that it’s a hodge podge meal. You don’t have to specifically shop for it, but instead just use whatever ingredients are in your fridge!

Half Lunch Meat Half Veggie Pizza with Cheddar Cheese

Chicken, Feta Cheese, Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Tomato, and Green Olive Pizza

Rectangle Pepperoni Pizza

June 24, 2015/0 Comments/by Stacey Maaser

Pizza Toast: Your Kids’ New Favorite Food

General, Pizza, Recipes

When my sister Lisa was visiting recently from Oklahoma, I loved seeing how much my little two year old nephew Tristan loved his “pizza toast”, and it inspired me to make some pizza toast of my own! I went on a little pancake binge not too long ago and created every conceivable recipe for pancakes that I could imagine (I have since created several more, but I’m sick of writing recipes for pancakes!) Well, now I feel like everything is coming up pizza these days! And why not? Kids love pizza, it’s a great way to incorporate a mixture of foods and flavors, and there are many different ways to make it if you’re feeling creative!

Ingredients

Sourdough Muffins (or whatever kind of bread you have or like to use)
Butter
Organic Tomato Sauce (glass jars are best, but we make do)
Herbs and Spices (basil, oregano, garlic powder, and salt)
Mozzarella Cheese (shredded, or any cheese you like or have around)
Toppings (pepperoni, ground hamburger, lunch meat, green pepper, tomato, green olives, etc.)

Directions

Cut the sourdough muffins in half and top generously with butter. (I like putting my salt and garlic powder on at this point, but it can go on top of the sauce too.)
Sourdough Muffins Topped with Butter, Garlic Powder, and Salt
Place a spoonful of tomato sauce on top of each muffin and spread using the back of the spoon.
Sourdough Muffins Topped with Tomato Sauce
Top with herbs and spices.
Sprinkle generously with cheese.
Sourdough Muffins Topped with Mozzarella Cheese
Add any desired toppings.
Pop in the toaster oven for 10 minutes (or until the bread is toasted and the cheese is melted and bubbly).
Pizza Toast with Pepperoni
Use a pizza cutter to cut into little pieces. (My kids always like eating bite sized things.)
Pizza Toast Cut Up Into Bite Sized Pieces

June 24, 2015/0 Comments/by Stacey Maaser

Sourdough Pizza Crust Recipe

General, Pizza, Recipes

Embracing Motherhood Sourdough Pizza Crust

This sourdough pizza crust recipe is great for getting rid of the phytic acid that is in all grains, but you do need to prepare it about 8 hours ahead of time. If you need something right away, I suggest you check out my quick and easy pizza recipe.

This sourdough pizza crust recipe can be used to make one large pizza, two smaller pizzas, two trays of pizza muffins, or two medium sized calzones.

Ingredients

1 c. Sourdough Starter (Blog Post: Sourdough Starter Recipe)
2 c. Raw Milk (Blog Post: Why We Drink Raw Milk)
4 c. Freshly Ground Flour (I get my wheat berries here, but you can find some similar here too and then I grind them with this.)
*2 T. Raw Honey (Optional: It helps to neutralize the sour flavor.)
1 ½ t. Real Salt (I buy my Real Salt in bulk here, you can buy a shaker here, or a refill pouch here.)
1 t. Baking Soda (or aluminum free baking powder)
*Optional: Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Oregano, and Basil

Directions

Part 1: Mix it Up and Let it Sit

Dissolve the sourdough starter into the milk, add the flour, and stir until combined.
Cover with a towel and leave out for 8 hours (or overnight).

Part 2: Make Your Crust (8 Hours Later)

Pizza Crust

Add the honey, salt, baking soda, garlic powder, onion powder, basil, and oregano. Since the dough is pretty stiff at this point, I find it easiest to just knead in the remaining ingredients. To do this, spread a little flour on the counter top, grease up your hands with some coconut oil, and knead until everything is mixed together.
To make a large pizza, preheat the oven to 450˚F, roll out the pizza crust onto a slightly greased pizza pan, cover with a towel and place on top of the preheating oven for an hour to let it rise (this is optional and will make a softer crust), add your toppings and bake for 15-20 minutes. *If you want to be extra fancy, melt some butter, add some fresh herbs and salt, and spread generously over the edges of the crust.
If you want to make some amazing Pizza Muffins instead (which is what I usually do), click here to see the recipe. *I cook my pizza muffins for 10-12 minutes at 350º F.

October 20, 2014/0 Comments/by Stacey Maaser

How to Make Pizza Muffins

General, Pizza, Recipes

As a busy mom with young eaters who LOVE pizza, I needed a quick, healthy, easy, and convenient way to feed them their favorite food. So after much trial and error, I created these delicious pizza muffins, and they were a BIG hit! The kids love them, and my husband and I love them too! They are so easy to make and they are even good cold which makes them perfect for school lunches.

Pizza Crust

Sourdough Pizza Crust: If you can plan ahead by about 8 hours or so, this sourdough pizza crust will taste great and be free from the mineral leaching phytic acid present in all grains.
Quick and Easy Pizza Crust: If you’re looking for a quick and easy pizza crust that is made with fresh homemade ingredients, this is the recipe for you.

Pizza Muffins

Ingredients:

Coconut Oil (For your hands and greasing the pan. I like to buy my coconut oil in bulk here, but you can buy it here and here on Amazon as well.)
15 oz. Tomato Sauce with Added Herbs (I love using my fresh chopped tomato puree when on hand, but even spaghetti sauce will work, you just might want to add a little oregano and basil.)
32 oz. (8 cups) Mozerella Cheese (Any kind of shredded cheese will work really. You can even make your own Raw Milk Farm Cheese!)
Toppings: Pepperoni, Ground Beef, Tomatoes, Green Olives, Onions, Peppers…or whatever else you might like!

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350° F.
Grease the muffin tins liberally with coconut oil.
Tear the dough into the size of about a tablespoon and plop into each muffin tin.
Pizza Dough in Cupcake Pans
Grease your hands up with coconut oil and flatten the pieces into the bottom of the pan.
Put about a teaspoon of pizza sauce on top of each muffin.
Adding the Pizza Sauce and Cheese
Cover the sauce with a generous helping of mozerella cheese.
Place pepperoni and any other toppings you wish to add (green olives, tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, green pepper, crumbled bacon, sausage, ground hamburger, etc.) on top. *For you big cheese lovers out there, you can top the toppings with even more cheese!
Place into an oven preheated to 350° F and bake for 10-12 minutes. The cheese should just start to brown and bubble on the sides when done.
Cooked Pizza Muffins
Let the muffins cool a bit, and then use a butter knife to “cut” around the edges and remove from the muffin pan. The bottoms should be nicely browned and firm. If they are still soft, bake for a few more minutes.
Once the kids (and I) devour as many as we can, I put the rest in a Ziploc bag and store in the refrigerator. My daughter loves it when I pack these for her school lunch, and my 2 and 4 year old love eating them cold too.

Variations

Garlic Butter Muffins: Melt some butter and add salt, oregano, basil, and garlic powder (or better yet, freshly pressed garlic), and spread generously on top of the dough. Then, sprinkle a little cheese on top.
Pizza Loaves: I find that my kids like to eat food WAY MORE when they help make it! They love tasting all of the ingredients along the way and helping out with whatever they are comfortable doing.
Ruby Making Pizza Loaves

We have these little mini loaf cooking containers that make for some really cute mini loaves. These loaves took about 15-18 minutes at 350° F to bake.

Cooked Pizza Loaves
Mini Pizza Muffins: I recently bought this tray for mini muffins, and I love it! I just made a few batches to send into school with Ruby as her monthly class snack. The are the perfect bite-sized little treat!