We usually think of pizza as a guilty pleasure—high in fat, salt, and calories. But pizza CAN be good for you—if it’s made at home with healthy ingredients. Pizza night is a fun way for kids to learn food preparation skills, and for the family to eat a healthy meal while saving some money.
At this moment, every sane parent is thinking, “Wait a minute. Pizza is made with dough and dough involves yeast, an hour to rise, and a sticky mess to clean up.” No worries! We’ve got that covered…
Here’s a recipe for a yeast-free, mess-free pizza dough we make in local SNAP-Ed classes. There’s only a ten minute rest time. Add heartiness (and some fiber) by using up to half whole wheat flour. The trick to keeping the flour in the crust—and not all over the table or kitchen floor—is to mix the dough in a zip-lock bag. If the dough is divided up, each kid can make and top their own mini-pizza. Pre-chop toppings for younger kids; older kids can prep their own.
No-Yeast Pizza Crust
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Makes: 1 12-inch crust (make two or more for large or very hungry families; use a separate zip-lock bag for each batch)
Ingredients:
1 1⁄3 cups all-purpose flour, try half whole wheat
1 teaspoon baking powder
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1⁄2 cup nonfat or 1% milk
2 Tablespoons oil
Directions:
- Mix about half the flour with all of the baking powder and salt in a gallon-sized zip-lock bag. Add milk and oil. SEAL THE BAG and mix until smooth and well blended.
- Add remaining flour a little at a time to make a soft dough. Mix until dough pulls away from sides of the bag and forms a ball. Let sit in the bag for 10 minutes.
- Turn dough onto a clean, lightly floured surface and knead 10 to 20 times. Dough should feel soft but smooth and not sticky.
- On a lightly greased baking sheet, roll or press dough into a 12 inch circle.
- Bake crust at 400 degrees F for 8 minutes.
- Remove from oven and add your choice of sauce and toppings (see below).
- Return to oven and bake until light golden brown, 12 to 20 minutes. Serve hot.
Sauce: Use jarred pasta sauce or this Quick No-Cook Pizza Sauce
Toppings:
- Low fat mozzarella (buy it in a block and shred it yourself to save money) or other cheese
- Your choice of fresh chopped veggies and herbs: green peppers, mushrooms, onion, spinach, tomato, zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, basil, oregano.
VIDEO of this recipe being made by a real kid (without the zip-lock bag technique)
Recipe adapted from No-Yeast Pizza Crust at https://foodhero.org/recipes/no-yeast-pizza-crust.
Zip-lock bag technique: https://utah4h.org/files/Volunteers/ResourceMaterials/healthy-lifestyle-education/EasyYeastBreadsinaBag.pdf
Photo credit: https://foodhero.org/
Brought to you by:
Joan Martin
SNAP-Ed Nutritionist, Southern Finger Lakes Region
jdm458@cornell.edu
