Handmade Pizza

Dietary Needs:

Recipe Author:

From our What’s for Lunch? Cookbook

Servings

Makes 12 slices

Total Time to Make

2 hours total, 45 minutes hands-on

Ingredients

For the dough

1 ½ cups (375 ml) warm water
1 Tbsp (15 ml) yeast
1 ½ cups (375 ml) all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups (375 ml) whole wheat flour
1 tsp (5 ml) salt
1 Tbsp (15 ml) oil, plus more for greasing the pan

For the sauce

1 large onion
2 large carrots
4 cloves garlic or 2 tsp (10 ml) garlic powder
2 Tbsp (30 ml) oil
1 Tbsp (15 ml) dried oregano
2 tsp (10 ml) salt
1 (540 ml) can crushed tomatoes
2 tsp (10 ml) sugar, optional (if the tomatoes are quite tart)

To assemble the pizza

1 Tbsp (15 ml) oil
2 ½ cups (300g) shredded mozzarella

Toppings of your choice: cooked lean ground beef, diced peppers, sliced mushrooms, diced onions, sliced olives, diced tomatoes, diced pineapple, baby spinach

Directions

To make the dough, pour the warm water into a large bowl and sprinkle in the yeast. After five minutes, add the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, and salt. Stir with a large spoon for 2 minutes, or until all the flour is incorporated. The dough will be very sticky and your spoon will be a mess! Scrape off the spoon and drizzle the dough with 1 Tbsp of oil.
Cover the bowl and let the dough rise in a warm place until it is twice as big as when you mixed it, 45 minutes to an hour. While the dough rises, make your pizza sauce.
To make the sauce, peel the onion and dice. Peel and mince the carrots and garlic. Heat the oil over medium-low heat in a heavy-bottomed pot and add the onion, carrot and garlic. Cook until the vegetables are well-softened and just beginning to brown, about 15 minutes.
Add the oregano and salt and stir for another minute, then add the crushed tomatoes.
Simmer for at least 10 minutes, then taste and decide if a little sugar is needed to balance the tartness of the tomatoes. Cool the sauce slightly and blend with an immersion blender if a very smooth sauce is desired. You will only need 1 ½ cups for this recipe, the remaining sauce can be frozen in 1 ½ cup batches.
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper if you have it. Grease the pan with 1 Tbsp oil. Gently ease the dough onto the centre of the pan. Wash your hands, then pour a little oil onto them so they don’t stick to the dough. Gently spread the dough into a large oval. Let the dough rest for at least five minutes, then evenly push the dough to fill the pan.
Top the dough with 1 ½ cups of the pizza sauce and spread it out evenly on the dough. Add the toppings and sprinkle with the shredded mozzarella. Bake the pizza for 15-20 minutes, until the crust is browned and the cheese is bubbling and beginning to brown.
Carefully remove the pizza from the oven using oven mitts and place on a heatproof surface. Let cool for a few minutes, then carefully cut it into serving pieces using a pizza cutter or sharp knife. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Bring the recipe into your home, classroom, or community

Hungry for something fun? Get cooking with our cookbook What’s for Lunch? Nova Scotia Recipes to Cook and Enjoy Together. Explore the recipes with your family at home! If you’re an educator, check out our Recipes for Learning resources that bring food literacy to life through engaging cooking videos and hands-on classroom activities.

Notes

If you don’t have whole wheat flour, use 3 cups (750 ml) total all-purpose flour.

If your dough refuses to stretch, give it a few minutes to relax before pushing it out evenly into the pan.

You can swap in 6 pitas or English muffins for the dough. Spread with sauce, add toppings and cheese and bake until the cheese is beginning to brown, 10-12 minutes.