This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
I love it when the whole family gets involved in making a meal. The process is seriously entertaining. I made the pizza dough (check out the recipe for perfect pizza crust below), then stood back and watched my two chefs create, each one trying to out-do the other.
My son kept saying that his was “the bestest one” because he didn’t add onions and because he used the most cheese. I call their pizzas “supreme” because they were loaded with nearly all the toppings I had out.
My son sure enjoyed building his pizza and he was so proud of his accomplishment. He sat in front of the oven until the pizza had finished baking. He was so excited! I savored every moment of it. I should have them make lunch more often! Keep this pizza recipe in mind for father’s day since the whole family can be a part of creating a delicious masterpiece that would make Dad proud 😉
My son is 4, turning 5 in July and he’s already very good at sifting, mixing, mess making, cracking eggs, and using the hand cranked egg beater for anything he can get his hands on! I think he started mixing ingredients together when he was 2, but with practice, 90% of it is now in the bowl rather than the floor. Anyway, he was beaming when his pizza came out of the oven.
Ingredients for Perfect Pizza Dough:
3/4 cup warm water 1 tbsp active dry yeast 1/2 tbsp honey 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil + more to oil baking pan & work surface 2 cups plus 2 tbsp all-purpose flour 3/4 tsp salt 1/4 cup cornmeal for baking
Ingredients for Easy Pizza Sauce:
1 1/2 cup store-bought marinara (whatever brand or flavor you like) 1 garlic clove, minced 1/4 tsp oregano, optional
Greek Pizza Toppings:
Mozzarella cheese, grated Marinated artichokes, Quartered Black olives or Kalamata olives, sliced Baby tomatoes, halved Red onion, halved and thinly sliced drizzle of EVOO Feta sprinkled for garnish after pizza is baked
Supreme Pizza Toppings:
Mozzarella cheese, grated Ham, or pepperoni Sliced black olives, Mushrooms, sliced, Red onion, halved and thinly sliced Tomato, sliced Bell pepper, thinly sliced or diced Grated Parmesan Cheese, optional
How to Make the Pizza Dough:
(this dough can also be made in a bread maker):
Put warm water in a large bowl, add the yeast and let stand for about 7 minutes for the yeast to activate. Don’t use hot water or you will ruin the yeast.
Whisk in honey and olive oil. Add flour, then the salt and knead until well-combined (use a dough hook on speed 2 if using a mixer). The dough should be sticky.
Cover with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place until doubled in volume (45 min to 1 hr at room temp or 25-30 min in a warm 100˚F oven).
Prep the Sauce while the dough is rising since it will need time to cool down:
- Combine all sauce ingredients in a small sauce pan. 2. Simmer over medium/low heat until it is reduced by about a third. It needs to thicken or the pizza will be too juicy. If you need to cool sauce to room temp faster, transfer sauce to a bowl and place in a bath of ice water.
How to Assemble & Bake Pizzas:
Generously sprinkle baking pans with cornmeal; this keeps the crust crisper and prevents sticking to the pan. You can also oil pans if you don’t have cornmeal.
Grease a clean work surface and your hands with olive oil. Transfer dough to oiled surface and cut into three even pieces. Form each piece into an 8″ round pizza crust using your hands and transfer to baking pans lined with cornmeal.
Spread 1/3 pizza sauce on each pizza leaving a 1/2″ border of dough all the way around. Add plenty of mozzarella cheese and any of your favorite toppings; this is where it gets really fun! (See list of toppings above for supreme pizza or Greek Pizza).
They were really, really proud of their pizzas. P.S. Tough guys make pizza… see their guns? 😉
These two… :).
- Bake pizzas at 415˚ F for 15 minutes or until the crust is crisp and toppings are cooked. Cheese will be melted and turn golden in a few spots. For those of you who are visual learners, here’s a peak at how we assembled the supreme pizzas:
Please take a moment to wipe the drool off your keyboard.
And the Greek Pizza – my favorite: (Tips: once the toppings are on, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. After the pizza comes out of the oven, sprinkle with crumbled feta cheese. It’s so good!)
And a little more of the aftermath:
There was plenty of this happening:
And this (sweetest fish lips in the world? I think so):
If When you try these pizzas, report back and let me know what toppings you tried. You can totally get creative and make it your own. It’s such a simple and great recipe.
What are your favorite meals to cook as a family? Do you have any specialties?
