Homemade Pizza

We have pizza once a week at my house and it is never delivery (not that I can even get delivery out here!) or frozen. I make it. It is better for us and saves us lots of money. It is also easy to customize the pizza exactly how we want it - creative toppings, lots of sauce, light sauce, etc.

Now I know there are a lot of pizza recipes out there that call for more ingredients than mine or have more steps. And these might make phenomenal pizzas that blow mine out of the water. But I like to keep things simple. Because of that it is much easier to make pizza than you think. I actually don't even go by a recipe or even measure exactly anymore. I just throw ingredients together until it is right. But I have written it out for you :)

Whole Wheat Pizza

1 cup warm water (if it hurts your finger it is too hot!)
1 tbsp sweetener (honey, sucanat, maple syrup, whatever)
2 heaping tsp yeast (or 1 packet if that is how you buy it)
2 - 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp salt
seasonings*

toppings

1. Mix all ingredients together (except toppings, obviously). If you are unsure if your yeast is still good, you can proof it by pixing it in the water with the sweetener and waiting for it to bubble. That is generally what I do.
2. Knead dough just until smooth then let rest. You can just let it sit for 5-10 minutes while your oven heats (and your pizza stone if you have one!) or you can let it rise until doubled, about 45 minutes, for a lighter texture.
3. Shape into a circle either by rolling or by hand. The exact size will depend on your pan.
4. Top with sauce and toppings. Bake at 450 until crust is golden, about 15 minutes.

My notes:


You can add additional seasonings to the dough if you would like. Italian seasoning, chili powder, and garlic come to mind right away. I also do not always knead the crust. Sometimes I just work it enough to make sure it is combined in a ball. Same goes for rising - I just don't always leave myself enough time to do it or do not feel like doing it. Either way you do it will taste fine. Also, some people like to pre-bake the crust for just a few minutes. Occasionally I do this but it is really just a personal preference.

So obviously this is a very forgiving recipe! This is the kind of recipe I like - where I am given the basic ingredients and process and then can adapt it to my preferences. This is a good recipe to get the kids involved in the kitchen. Even if they are too young to get in on the mixing and kneading, they can add their own toppings. You can even make smaller crusts and have everyone in the family top their own. The possibilities are endless! So experiment and see which ways you like to make it - I promise it will be good no matter what :)

Recipe included in the GCC Recipe Swap and Life as Mom's Frugal Fridays.