Healthy Homemade Pizza
Homemade Pizza Dough
Makes dough for 2 medium-crust pizzas (about 1 1/2 pounds)
- 1 1/4 cups warm water
- 1 package instant yeast
- Pinch of sugar
- 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Cornmeal for baking
In a glass measuring cup, stir together warm water, yeast and a pinch of sugar; let sit until yeast is very foamy. In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together flour, olive oil and water with yeast. Turn mixer on low and stir just to combine, then sprinkle salt over dough and raise speed to medium-high. Let mixer knead for a couple of minutes until the dough is soft, smooth and just slightly sticky. (Alternately, place ingredients in a large bowl and mix by hand, then turn out onto a floured counter or pastry cloth and knead by hand.) Let rise for an hour if you have the time, or roll out immediately, either with a rolling pin or by stretching gently with your hands into a round.
Divide the ball of dough in half (if you’re not making 2 pizzas, wrap half the dough tightly in plastic and freeze for a month or two). Preheat oven and pizza stone to 475°. Sprinkle stone with a bit of cornmeal; transfer dough round to stone, slash it in several places with the tip of a paring knife to prevent bubbles, and par-bake about 7 minutes. Top as desired and bake until toppings are done.
Pesto, Tomato & Ricotta Pizza
- Half batch homemade pizza dough
- 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup prepared pesto
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Par bake pizza crust; remove from oven. Spread pesto evenly over crust, then scatter tomatoes over the top. Spoon dollops of ricotta over the pizza, then scatter grated Parmesan over. Bake at 475° for 10–15 minutes, until crust is browned in spots and cheese is soft.
Nutrition facts (for two slices):
- 261 calories
- 18 g of fat
- 693 mg of sodium
- 13 g of carbs
- 13 g of protein
- <1 g of fiber
Zucchini & Goat Cheese Pizza
- Half batch homemade pizza dough
- 2 large zucchini, thinly sliced
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- Freshly ground pepper
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- 2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
- 1 to 2 teaspoons slivered fresh basil
About half an hour before baking, toss zucchini slices and garlic with salt in a colander. Let sit 30 minutes to soften zucchini, then drain and pat dry. In a bowl, toss zucchini with olive oil, Italian seasoning and pepper. Par bake pizza crust; remove from oven. Scatter mozzarella over crust, then arrange zucchini in a single layer, then top with crumbled goat cheese. Bake at 475° for 10–15 minutes, until crust is browned in spots and cheese is soft.
Nutrition facts (for two slices):
- 202 calories
- 13 g of fat
- 739 mg of sodium
- 13 g of carbs
- 9 g of protein
- 1 g of fiber