Homemade Individual Pizzas
User Reviews
4.9
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Prep Time
1 hr 15 mins
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Cook Time
15 mins
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Total Time
1 hr 30 mins
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Servings
6 -8
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Course
Main Course, Lunch
Homemade Individual Pizzas
Description
This recipe involves activating yeast in warm water with honey, then mixing in olive oil, flour, and salt to form a sticky dough. After kneading and proofing until doubled in size, the dough is shaped for individual pizzas. The sauce is prepared by simmering marinara with minced garlic and optional oregano to thicken, preventing soggy crusts.
The pizzas are assembled with a variety of toppings according to preference, such as mozzarella cheese, marinated artichokes, olives, tomatoes, red onion, ham, mushrooms, and bell peppers. Baking pans are liberally sprinkled with cornmeal to create a slight crunch and prevent sticking.
This approach offers versatility in customizing small pizzas with fresh toppings and a dough that yields a crispy yet tender base. Preparing the sauce in advance while the dough rises saves time and ensures the sauce consistency is suitable for baking.
Ingredients
For the Pizza Dough:
- 3/4 cup water warm
- 1 tbsp active dry yeast
- 1/2 tbsp honey
- 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil plus more to oil baking pan & work surface
- 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 tbsp
- 3/4 tsp salt 1/4 cup cornmeal for baking
- 3/4 tsp cornmeal 1/4 cup cornmeal for baking
For the Easy Pizza Sauce:
- 1 1/2 cup marinara sauce whatever brand or flavor you like, store-bought
- 1 garlic minced, clove
- 1/4 tsp oregano optional
Greek Pizza Toppings
- my favorite pizza, hands down:
- mozzarella cheese grated
- artichokes Quartered, marinated
- black olives sliced, or Kalamata olives
- Baby tomatoes halved
- red onion halved and thinly sliced
- extra-virgin olive oil drizzle
- feta cheese sprinkled for garnish after pizza is baked
Supreme Pizza Toppings:
- mozzarella cheese grated
- ham or pepperoni
- black olive sliced
- mushrooms sliced,
- red onion halved and thinly sliced
- tomato sliced
- bell pepper thinly sliced or diced
- Parmesan Cheese optional, grated
Instructions
How to Make the Pizza Dough
- (this dough can also be made in a bread maker):
- Put warm water in a large bowl, add the yeast and let stand for about 7 minutes for the yeast to activate. Don't use hot water or you will ruin the yeast.
- Whisk in honey and olive oil. Add flour, then the salt and knead until well-combined (use a dough hook on speed 2 if using a mixer). The dough should be sticky.
- Cover with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place until doubled in volume (45 min to 1 hr at room temp or 25-30 min in a warm 100˚F oven).
Prep the Sauce while the dough is rising since it will need time to cool down:
- Combine all sauce ingredients in a small sauce pan.
- Simmer over medium/low heat until it is reduced by about a third. It needs to thicken or the pizza will be too juicy. If you need to cool sauce to room temp faster, transfer sauce to a bowl and place in a bath of ice water.
How to Assemble & Bake Pizzas:
- Generously sprinkle baking pans with cornmeal; this keeps the crust crisper and prevents sticking to the pan. You can also oil pans if you don't have cornmeal.
- Grease a clean work surface and your hands with olive oil. Transfer dough to oiled surface and cut into three even pieces. Form each piece into an 8" round pizza crust using your hands and transfer to baking pans lined with cornmeal.
- Spread 1/3 pizza sauce on each pizza leaving a 1/2" border of dough all the way around. Add plenty of mozzarella cheese and any of your favorite toppings; this is where it gets really fun! (See list of toppings above for supreme pizza or Greek Pizza).
- Bake pizzas at 415 degrees F for 15 minutes or until the crust is crisp and toppings are cooked. Cheese will be melted and turn golden in a few spots.
- (Tip for the Greek Pizza: once the toppings are on, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. After the pizza comes out of the oven, sprinkle with crumbled feta cheese. It's so good!)
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.9
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