Does this story sound familiar?
It's late in the afternoon. You are on your way home from work (or running errands or coming home from class or...) and you suddenly realize that you don't have anything thawed out for dinner. Money is tight, so carryout or delivery is not an option. What's a frazzled person to do? Easy-make a pizza for dinner! With a few simple ingredients that most of us already have on hand, you can treat yourself and your family to a hot and delicious meal in 30-45 minutes with the following recipe for a quick and easy pizza crust. In addition to making a quick and easy meal, this recipe is also a great idea when cooking with kids-you can give each child a piece of dough and let them make their own pizzas or for a party-Super Bowl anyone?
QUICK AND EASY PIZZA CRUST
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 tablespoon honey or sugar
- 2 1/4 teaspoons yeast
- 3 tablespoons oil, plus additional for pizza pan
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/2 cups flour, plus additional for dusting hands
Directions
In a large bowl, combine water, sweetener and yeast and stir to dissolve. Add oil, salt and flour. Stir until well blended. Cover and allow dough to rest for ten minutes. While dough is resting, preheat your oven to 425 degrees F and oil your pizza pan. Generously flour your hands and spread dough to cover the entire pan, making sure to create an edge along the perimeter of the pan. Top with your favorite ingredients and bake for 18-20 minutes, until cust is golden and cheese (if used) is melted. Makes 1 crust.
Cook's Notes
- For added flavor, use your favorite herbs to perk up your crust. I like to use 1 teaspoon of crushed rosemary and 1 teaspoon of basil when I use this recipe. You can also use an Italian seasoning blend, oregano, parmesan cheese, kosher salt, minced garlic orgarlic powder or whatever else strikes your fancy.
- For a sauceless pizza, brush your crust with some olive oil and sprinkle with herbs before adding the toppings.
Shopping Tips
For a more budget friendly dinner, visit Kroger on Oxford State Road or Towne Blvd for these sales: select brand store brand cheese 2/$4.00 and store brand pepperoni or ground pork for $2.99. Marsh on University Blvd has the following sales: Oscar Mayer bacon buy 1 get 1 free, Food Club cheese $1.88, Mama Mary's pizza sauce 10/$10 and Mama Mary's pepperoni 2/$4.00.
Aimee Plesa is the founder of Devour Dayton magazine where she also serves as editor and contributing writer for many food related topics. When not writing about food, she can be found in the kitchen of Cobblestone Cafe where she works as a sous chef or in her kitchen where she makes sweet treats and baked goods for her home based business, Treasured Confections.
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