I'm obsessed with this pizza dough recipe. I can't even tell you how many times we've used it and how fantastic it turns out every time. It's really not too difficult of a recipe and can be a fun group/family activity. It makes enough dough for 2 pizzas and is a freezer friendly recipe so you can make one and throw the other one in the freezer for a quick backup dinner plan. Bonus: it only takes 10 minutes to bake. I got the recipe from Money Saving Mom.
For the dough:
- 2 cups warm water (105 to 115 degrees F)
- 2 tablespoons active dry yeast
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 4 tablespoons oil (vegetable, canola or olive oil)
- 5 cups flour (can use all whole wheat, half white/half whole wheat, or all white)
- a bit of olive oil, garlic powder, salt & pepper and a blend of Italian seasonings
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
Pour the warm water into a large bowl and sprinkle yeast in. Stir to dissolve.
Add remaining ingredients and mix.
Dump onto a floured surface and knead dough for 2-5 minutes until smooth and no longer sticky (you could also use your electric mixer at this point if you want!)
Divide pizza dough into two equal sections and roll out one half (if only making one pizza) with a rolling pin into a circle that's a little bit larger than the pizza baking pan. Place dough on pan and roll up the sides to make a nice thick crust and spread some of the olive oil/garlic & Italian seasoning mix on the crust.
*If you wanted stuffed crust you could roll up some cheese into the crust at this point. Strips of string cheese seem like they would work well. Disclaimer: I haven't actually tried this, just an idea.*
Add sauce/toppings and bake at 500 degrees F for 10 minutes (until crust looks crispy and lightly browned).
To freeze:
Place dough (your other half) in an airtight freezer bag and freeze for up to 4-6 weeks. To thaw place frozen dough in the fridge overnight or at room temp for 3-4 hours. Roll out and follow directions above.
Easy BBQ Chicken Pizza
- Frozen chicken breasts
- BBQ sauce of choice
- cheddar cheese
- tomatoes
- red onion (not pictured)
- pizza dough from recipe above
Throw some frozen chicken breasts in the crock pot with a good amount of BBQ sauce (I'm so detailed with my measurements, I know) and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8. Shred the chicken with forks (or with your mixer!) and stir to blend the BBQ sauce in.
Roll out your dough and spread some BBQ sauce across the surface. Layer shredded chicken, cheddar cheese, sliced tomato and sliced red onion. Follow baking directions for pizza dough (above).
Other easy homemade pizza ideas:
Buffalo ranch chicken pizza: Same concept as the BBQ chicken pizza. Throw some chicken breasts in the crock pot with buffalo sauce and a dry ranch mix (I use my homemade one).
Caprese chicken pizza: Grilled chicken breasts with fresh mozzarella, tomato and basil. Get extra fancy and trickle a Balsamic reduction on top of that!
Classic pizza: Make a yummy homemade pizza sauce and top with the favorites: cheese, pepperoni/sausage, green peppers, mushrooms, olives.. really whatever floats your boat!
