This pizza recipe is great for the rainy weather and is fun to get others involved in the cooking process. It takes a bit of preparation, but it is so worth it for the taste. I love to have pizza nights with my family because we all get to pick our own toppings and make our pizzas exactly how we like them. I was inspired to make this recipe when I wanted to make pizza for dinner and had all the ingredients except for one used in the pizza dough. So I checked my pantry and had the perfect ingredients to make my own homemade pizza dough that is so delicious and only takes a few ingredients.
This recipe is super easy to personalize to your liking and cater to your dietary needs. For example, use all veggies to make it vegetarian and substitute the cheese for vegan cheese or nutritional yeast to give that cheesy flavour! The pizza dough is an excellent source of dietary fibre, and the sauce is full of vitamin C, potassium, folate and vitamin K from the tomatoes. Depending on what toppings you choose, you can also add protein with a meat topping such as ham or pepperoni, or if you want a vegetarian option, tofu is also great! I have also added beans to a pizza for protein, and they taste great! Adding veggies to your pizza will add extra fibre, vitamins, and minerals. Any way you construct your pizza, it will taste delicious and be a super fun experience whether making it with friends or family or simply on your own.
Bonus Tip! The leftover dough can be used to make focaccia bread if it's not all baked as pizza crust. Simply place the dough in a small baking dish, add olive oil, rosemary, and sea salt and bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for a delicious homemade bread that's great when dipped into oil and vinegar or eaten with a tomato bocconcini salad!
Let’s get into the recipe; here’s what you’ll need:
Ingredients
For your pizza, you can choose whatever ingredients you like. Here are some ideas for what you can add.
Ham
Pineapple
Cheese
Spinach
Arugula
Artichoke
Peppers
Tomatoes
Zucchini
Mushrooms
Sweet potato or yam (pre-cooked)
Dough:
1 ½ cup of warm water
2 tablespoons of yeast
2 teaspoons of honey
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon of olive oil
4 cups of whole wheat flour
Sauce:
1 can of plum tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste
3 garlic cloves
2 teaspoons oregano
Recipe
Dough:
In a medium-sized bowl, add warm water, yeast and honey and let sit until yeast starts to bubble (about 15 minutes).
Once the yeast has bubbled, add salt, olive oil and flour and knead the dough until it comes together. Cover and let the dough sit out of the fridge for about 2 hours to rise.
Once risen, separate into 6 equal-sized balls, place on a tray, cover, and place in the fridge for at least an hour or until ready to use.
Sauce:
Add your can of plum tomatoes, salt, pepper, oregano, and diced garlic in a medium pot, and let simmer.
Let the sauce cook down until desired thickness, and add seasoning as preferred.
Assembling the pizza:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (use convection bake).
Using flour on your surface so the dough does not stick, roll out pizza dough to the desired size (be sure not to make it too thin, about ¼ inch is great)
Transfer rolled pizza dough to a baking tray lined with parchment paper. If you want your crust to be a bit more crunchy, spread some olive oil on the parchment paper.
Once the pizza dough is on a tray, add sauce, cheese, and other desired toppings.
Place in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until dough is golden brown.
Enjoy!