recipe: quick and easy pizza dough

one of our favorite meals is homemade pizza. it's a fun way to get the whole family involved in cooking dinner. usually my husband cooks some chicken or pulls out all the toppings while i make the dough, and lately my 18-month-old even likes to help mix ingredients and handle the dough, and he thinks sprinkling the cheese on top is the funnest thing ever. really, it's fun for all of us.

i love this recipe because it is quick and easy, doesn't need to rise, has no sugar, and comes out perfect every time. it is definitely a staple around here!

ingredients:

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

1 cup warm (105-115 degrees) water
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 to 4 cups all-purpose flour (half all-purpose and half whole wheat is tasty, too)

directions:

1. mix yeast and water in a small bowl, cover, and let stand until foamy, 5 to 10 minutes.

2. mix oil, honey, salt, and yeast mixture in a large mixing bowl. slowly add the flour, 1 cup at a time, up to three cups. after the flour is mixed in, turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead in a little more flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until the dough is smooth, moderately stiff and somewhat firm to the touch, about 6 minutes.

3. lightly grease pizza pan or a cookie sheet (not needed if you use a pizza stone). with a rolling pin, roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface. gently stretch the dough to fill the pan, and roll the edges to make a crust.

4. let the dough rise (it will not rise very much) while you make sauce and continue with the pizza recipe of your choice

5. Bake for 10-15 minutes at 425 degrees.

tip:

in step 2, i rarely use 3 cups of flour when stirring the dough in the bowl, so make sure you add flour slowly so you don't end up with too much. my general rule of thumb is to stop adding flour once dough is smooth and not sticky. more flour will be added when you knead the dough, so you can always add more then, but you can't take it away if the dough gets too stiff.

recipe adapted from the food nanny rescues dinner, by liz edmunds.

enjoy!