I know homemade pizza might not be in your repertoire (yet!), but I think it should be! Takeout pizza is expensive, inconvenient (think ahead, order ahead, pick up yourself or pay delivery fees), while homemade pizza will cost you almost nothing. Our recipe this week is a little more expensive due to the olives and feta, but still comes in at only $7 per (large) pizza, assuming you already have flour and yeast around. And it’s so pretty. See?
What used to intimidate me about homemade pizza was making the dough— I thought it was hard because I didn’t know what it entailed. When I found out that you only have to mix water with a few pantry staples (yeast, flour, sugar, salt), add a little oil, and let it rise before rolling it out— I became an unstoppable pizza chef. And now, so are you.
Greek Pizza
Cook time = 40 minutes (premade dough) or 1.5 hours (homemade dough)
Serves: 6-8
For Dietary Restrictions
Gluten free: use a pre-made gluten-free crust
Dairy free: use dairy-free mozzarella
Kids Can Help
Measure and mix ingredients, knead dough, add toppings
Ingredients
For the dough:
1 cup warm water
2 ¼ tsp (or one package) active dry yeast
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
2½ cups all-purpose flour (optional: if you have wheat flour, you can substitute 1 cup of wheat flour for higher nutritional value).
OR use pre-made dough or crust
For the pizza:
1 6 oz can organic tomato paste (if you’re making the weekly menu with the Paella recipe, reserve 1 Tbsp of paste for the Paella)
16 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
½ red onion
1 yellow or red bell pepper
½ jar pitted Kalamata olives
4 oz Feta cheese
Dried oregano
Bit of salt
Directions
If you’re making your own dough, start with Step 1. If you're using pre-made dough or crusts, skip to step 6.
Step 1
In a large mixing bowl, stir together gently yeast and water until yeast is dissolved. Let sit for 10 minutes.
Step 2
Add oil, salt, and sugar and stir gently to combine.
Step 3
Add the flour ½ cup at a time, stirring between additions. Mix well with a stiff spatula, scraping down the sides.
Step 4
Knead the dough: Lightly flour your hands and knead (fold, press, and turn; repeat) in the bowl for 5 min. You can add a little more flour during this process as needed to prevent sticking.
Step 5
Once the dough is uniform and smooth, leave it in the bowl and cover with a towel. Place in a warm spot or use the proofing setting on your oven, if it has one. Allow dough to rise 30-60 minutes.
Step 6
Preheat your oven to 500 degrees (if using pre-made crusts, use the suggested temperature).
Step 7
Once dough is ready, cut in 2 and roll out each half into an oval (if using pre-made crust, place on baking tray if needed). Spread the tomato paste on the dough, then cover with mozzarella. Add the toppings and the salt and oregano.
Step 8
Bake for 9-12 minutes (may be slightly less for pre-made crust), rotating the pans once halfway through. Take out when the cheese is slightly browning and bubbling.