Community Cookbook: Yo’ and No Yo’ Pizza offers yogurt alternative to pizza-making recipes
The great Italian chef Luigi Portabello once proclaimed, “Bread feedsa the masses, but pizza feedsa the soul!” OK, I may have just made all of that up. If there ever were a real-life Luigi Portabello, I’m sure he’d agree with that quoted sentiment, just like the rest of us.
The word “pizza” can instantly rouse people from the most profound stupor. I know I stayed wide awake and hungry while writing this. Pizza has been a welcome guest at every meal of the day: breakfast, lunch and dinner, and every kind of snack break in between. Just don’t try all of these on the same day. That would surely violate the sensibility rules.
Yo’ Pizza is for those adventurous enough to make a homemade crust. Yo’ Crust may not win any flavor awards, but it’s reliable and oh-so-easy to make. Nonfat Greek yogurt replaces water and yeast, eliminating concerns about water temperature and rising times. The amount of kneading and resting time required is minimal. The crust has a slight sourdough flavor and may be a little healthier than most.
Flatbread Pizza provides a faster, more convenient route to a delicious homemade pizza. Flatbread is just that – flat bread. Most are unleavened, which means that a rising agent, such as yeast, isn’t used in the preparation. Many are familiar with the original mainstream flatbreads, naan and pita bread; they make excellent pizza crusts. Delicious artisan flatbreads are readily available in grocery stores and bakeries nowadays. Naan and pita bread usually come in quantities of four and six, allowing the preparation of several small, customizable pizzas simultaneously. They’re perfect for accommodating guests and fussy kids.
For those who wish to use a different crust, the layering and topping ideas contained in the recipes may be helpful. Pizza everyone?
Yo’ Pizza
I rarely make homemade pizza crust because of the time and hassle involved with using yeast: water temperature, kneading, rising, rising temperature, punching down, repeating the rising process, parbaking. Before you know it, making a pizza can take half a day. The homemade crust used here nicely avoids most of that. It’s a variation of the Weight Watchers’ two-ingredient dough with a couple of added ingredients to improve the crust’s flavor and texture. The dough is easy to work with, and it’s nearly instant. You can vary the toppings as you wish.
Ingredients
1 Yo’ pizza crust (see recipe below)
1 cup pizza or marinara sauce
1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
½ cup shredded Cheddar or other good melting cheese
½ cup finely chopped onion
½ cup finely chopped bell or jalapeño pepper
1 cup chopped button or crimini mushrooms
1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
Cooked meat, sausage or seafood (optional)
Directions
Place the parbaked crust on a pizza or shallow baking pan.
Distribute the remaining ingredients in even layers in the order given, leaving the rim bare.
Place on a rack in the low position of an oven preheated to 425 degrees.
Bake until the cheese melts and the bottom of the crust browns a little, 13-15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
Yields: One 13-inch pizza
Yo’ Pizza Crust
Homemade pizza crust just doesn’t get much easier than this unless you resort to the boxed, just-add-water variety. You’ll pay for the boxed convenience with a significant loss in quality. This recipe takes liberties with the popular Weight Watchers’ two-ingredient pizza dough by adding a little sugar – oh my! It may be my favorite homemade pizza crust.
Ingredients
1½ cup self-rising flour
¾-1 teaspoon granulated sugar
¼teaspoon salt
1 cup nonfat, plain Greek yogurt
Additional flour, as needed
Cornmeal (optional)
Directions
Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. Add the yogurt and mix initially with a large spoon, then by hand. Knead the dough in the bowl until smooth and slightly elastic, about 3-4 minutes, adding a little flour, if needed (at first, it’ll seem like you have a mess on your hands, and you do, but don’t fret, the dough will eventually come together).
Roll the dough into a ball. Cover and let rest at room temperature for 10-15 minutes. Knead several times more. Lay the dough on a lightly floured work surface (use the optional cornmeal instead of flour, if preferred). Use a lightly floured rolling pin to roll the dough into a 15-inch round (roll the dough from the center outward).
Place on a pizza or shallow baking pan and form a ¾-inch ridge along the edge, reducing the diameter to about 14 inches. Use a fork to poke holes in the crust about every ¾ inch, except for the ridge. Place on a rack in the low position of an oven preheated to 425 degrees and bake for 16 minutes. Remove from the oven.
To make a pizza, layer the toppings of choice in the order preferred, leaving the ridge bare. Bake until the cheese melts and the bottom of the crust browns a little, 13-15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
Notes: Substitute 1½ cup of all-purpose flour, 2¼ teaspoons of baking powder, and ½ teaspoon of salt for the self-rising flour. Add 2 tablespoons of corn masa flour to the dry ingredients for a slightly different flavor. Use a 14- to 16-inch round pizza pan or a 17-by-11-inch shallow baking pan. The dough also makes 2 approximately 9-inch crusts.
Yields: One 13-inch pizza crust
Flatbread Pizza
Asian-Indian naan and Middle-Eastern pita bread make great pizza crusts. These pizzas have plenty of seasoned tomato sauce and delicious toppings. Naan and pita bread, usually packaged in quantities of four or six, make it convenient to prepare several pizzas at a time.
Ingredients
4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup chopped onion
⅛ teaspoon salt
¼ cup chopped bell or jalapeño pepper
½ cup chopped button or crimini mushrooms
2 loaves naan or pita bread
¼ cup pizza, marinara, or spaghetti sauce
1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
½ cup cooked ground beef, crumbled sausage, or sliced pepperoni
Directions
Heat the olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and salt. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the bell or jalapeño pepper and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the mushrooms and continue to cook until the vegetables are tender but still slightly firm and the mushrooms have sweated, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat.
Place the loaves in a single layer on a pizza or shallow baking pan. Evenly spread the sauce to within ½ inch of the edges. Top the sauce with half the cheese, then the vegetables, remaining cheese, and meat.
Place the pan on a rack in the low position of an oven preheated to 425 degrees and bake until the cheese melts and the bottoms of the loaves brown a little, about 12 minutes.
Notes: For a quick homemade pizza sauce, combine ¼ cup of tomato sauce, ¼ teaspoon each of dried oregano, dried basil and garlic powder, and ⅛ teaspoon of black pepper.
Yields: Two pizzas
Dick Sellers is a freelance writer. Contact him at dickskitchencorner@outlook.com