California Pizza Recipe
User Reviews
5
-
Prep Time
2 hrs
-
Cook Time
20 mins
-
Total Time
2 hrs 20 mins
-
Servings
1 XL Pizza
-
Course
Main Course, Lunch
-
Cuisine
American
California Pizza Recipe
Description
This California Pizza starts with a homemade dough made from active dry yeast, warm water, honey, olive oil, flour, and salt. The dough is prepared either using a bread maker's dough setting or via manual mixing and kneading, allowing it to rise until doubled. The risen dough is then rolled out onto an oiled baking sheet, which helps create a lightly crisped bottom crust when baked.
The toppings include classic pizza sauce spread evenly, a generous layer of shredded mozzarella cheese, chopped ham for savory protein, and fresh sliced tomato, red onion, mushrooms, and black olives for added moisture and earthy flavors. Baking at a high temperature of 415°F for 15-20 minutes crisps the crust edges and cooks the toppings through while melting the cheese into a smooth layer.
This pizza combines diverse textures from the tender crust, juicy tomato, chewy ham, and the mild bite of onion and olives. It works well as a casual main dish for lunch or dinner. For variety, additional toppings like fresh basil, prosciutto, or bell peppers can be added according to preference.
Using a bread maker simplifies dough preparation, but hand mixing with proper kneading and proofing yields similar results. Ensuring the dough is sticky yet manageable helps form a soft interior crumb with a thin outer crust.
Ingredients
Ingredients for California Pizza Dough:
- 3/4 cup water warm
- 1 Tbsp active dry yeast
- 1/2 Tbsp honey
- 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 tbsp
- 3/4 tsp salt
Ingredients for Toppings (what I used):
- 1/2 cup pizza sauce
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese 8-10 oz shredded
- 6 lices ham chopped or cut into strips, deli
- 1 tomato sliced, medium
- 1 red onion finely sliced, small
- 6-7 mushrooms sliced
- 1/4 cup black olives sliced
More topping ideas:
- basil roughly torn prosciutto, pork or turkey sausages, pepperoni, red or yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded and julienned, or whatever else your heart desires, fresh leaves
Instructions
How to Make California Pizza Dough:
Making pizza dough in a bread-maker makes it sooo easy!
- Add 3/4 cup water and 1 Tbsp of dry yeast in the bread maker and let it stand for a 3-5 minutes.
- Next, add 1/2 Tbsp of honey, 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil, 2 cups + 2 Tbsp of flour, 3/4 tsp of salt in the bread-maker in the order they are listed and select the dough setting.*
- Mine takes about an hour. The dough will be sticky and it will be easy to work with once it's oiled.
Make the easy pizza sauce.
Once the dough is ready, preheat the Oven to 415˚F.
- Drizzle another 2 Tbsp oil onto a large baking sheet. Transfer the dough onto the oiled baking sheet and turn it a couple times to make sure the dough is covered in oil.
- Roll the dough out in the cookie sheet and spread on the pizza sauce.
- Spread on the cheese, ham, tomatoes, mushrooms, olives and onions.
- Bake at 415˚F for 15-20 minutes or until the crust is crisp and toppings are cooked.
Now, marvel at your masterpiece! Your family will be so impressed and it's really easy.
Notes
- The dough can be prepared using a bread maker's dough setting or by hand kneading with a mixer or by hand followed by proofing until doubled in size.
- Use an oiled baking sheet to prevent sticking and to promote a crisp crust bottom.
- Customize toppings with additional ingredients like fresh basil, prosciutto, or bell peppers if desired.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
You'll Also Love
