Yeast Free Wholewheat Thin Crust Pizza

Every time I ordered a thin crust pizza at Pizza Hut, I would start wondering what ingredients they use to make it so unbelievably thin, flaky, and crusty and yet holding so well. I tried asking them many times the ingredients/recipe/procedure but would always be turned down saying it was their trade secret. I tried achieving the same results at home but would not come close to what I eat at the joint. 

Today as I set about to make pizzas for my baby's pizza party, I realised that my yeast is dead and cannot be used. I thought and knew for certain that there are yeast free recipes available online and started my search. While most recipes used more or less the same ingredients, there were a few exceptions and after my quick 5 minute research, I decided to create my own. I am so thankful to Mr. Yeast that he did not bloom and gave me this opportunity to bake my most yummy pizza ever and exactly the way I like it. Rest in peace Mr. Yeast! Sorry, but you won't be called for a pizza dough next time as I absolutely love it without you!! 😜😜

Ingredients 

1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour 

1/2 cup bread flour (can be replaced with self raising flour/all purpose flour/maida/whole wheat flour) 

1/4 cup raw wheatgerm (optional; I added just to make it more nutritious)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp garlic powder (or any spice that you prefer)

1 tsp baking powder 

1 tbsp cornflour plus more for dusting 

2 tbsp olive oil plus more for greasing (I used the oil from my can of Sundried tomatoes and it gave a superb flavor to the dough. You can use any oil that you may have from your preserves for maximum flavor; remember, the more oil you use, the flakier will be the crust. I used about 3 tbsp)

1/2-1/3 cup buttermilk or as required for kneading 

Direction 

Take all the dry ingredients together in a bowl and mix well. Add the oil and mix with your hands. It will resemble bread crumbs. Now slowly add the buttermilk and start kneading a soft but stiff dough. We do not need a wet dough but a smooth one. Towards the end, you can lightly grease your hands to smoothen the dough and soften the dry edges. Cover and keep aside for 15 minutes. 

Meanwhile, pre-heat the oven at maximum temperature for 20 minutes. If possible, it is advisable to also pre-heat the pizza stone or the baking tray where you will be baking the pizza to achieve that perfect crust. 

Now take a round/ square parchment paper about the same size as your baking tray/pizza stone and pinch out a rubber ball sized dough. Sprinkle a dash of cornflour on the parchment and place the flattened dough ball on it. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough into a circle of about 1/8" thickness or thinner as per your liking. Spread a thin layer of pizza sauce/tomato sauce and top it with your favourite toppings. Sprinkle a generous amount of cheese to finish it off. 

Now carefully take out the pizza stone or baking tray from the hot oven and quickly place the prepared parchment with the pizza on it. Put it back into the oven and bake at 180 degree celcius for 10-15 minutes till the cheese melts and the edges look brown. Remove from oven and cut and serve hot. Repeat with the remaining dough or refrigerate for later use. Makes 4 8" pizzas. 

Gluten Free Crunchy Quinoa Thin Crust Pizza Base

Pizza is ideally considered as a junk food considering the ingredients that go into its making. However, modern day homemakers know exactly how to work around the ingredients and still enjoy this Italian hot favorite without compromising on the taste or the crunch. Today's pizza base is a good news for all who crave for a pizza but are either too lazy to knead the dough (like me) or too concsious about the calories (again like me). I am head-over-heels in love with Quinoa and today I got a little more crazy about this wonder grain. It is the simplest pizza base you would have ever made!! Trust me!

Ingredients

3/4 cup quinoa

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp basil

1 tsp parsley (you can use any spice mix as per your taste)

1 tsp garlic powder

Salt and pepper to taste (be careful while adding salt as the pizza sauce will also have some in it)

Direction

Wash and rinse the quinoa thoroughly 3-4 times. This is important to have a bitterless base as quinoa can sometimes turn quite bitter. Now soak the quinoa in sufficient water either overnight or at least for 5-6 hours. I soaked it in the morning for preparing in the night. 

Now again wash and rinse the soaked quinoa 3-4 times and drain the water. Transfer the quinoa into a grinder and add all other ingredients. Grind to a smooth paste and add water only as required to get it smooth. Excess water might prove difficult to get a crunchy base. 

Pre-heat the oven at 200 degree celsius on toast mode (both rods). Line a pizza pan with parchment paper and gently spray cooking oil or grease it with your hands. Now pour the batter into the prepared plate and spread out evenly to cover the entire plate. The more thinly you spread the thinner base you will get and more crunchier. However take care not to leave any gaps in between. The batter consistency will be the same as South Indian Vada batter. 

Bake in the pre-heated oven for 10-15 minutes till crunchy and golden on top. Remove from oven. You should be able to see that it is starting to curl up from the sides. Now carefully flip it without breaking and bake for another 5-10 minutes on the other side. If you feel that the base is still quite soft at the time of flipping, bake for another 5 minutes till firm and then flip. Also, adjust the temperature of the oven if you see quick browning. 

Once you pizza base is ready and baked on both the sides, spread your favorite pizza sauce and toppings as desired and bake in the oven for another 5-10 minutes till the cheese starts melting or toppings are done. Enjoy your yummy healthy pizza!

Flourless Healthy Pizza

First of all, a big sorry to my friends from India who may not find the key ingredient of this recipe in their nearby stores. People living in metros, however, do stand a chance of finding it in speciality stores or in the international section of big supermarkets. Today's experiment in the kitchen, after all the high calorie cooking in the recent weeks, is with a form of wheat called  "couscous" which is derived from Durum Wheat and is quite similar to Semolina in texture. You can call it an intermediate between rice and pasta. Couscous is a powerhouse of essential nutrients, the most important being lean protein and dietary fiber and a host of vitamins including vitamin B. It is a very good source of protein for my vegetarian friends and also a healthy diet option for the weight watchers. To know more about the health benefits of couscous, you can ask our trusted friend google for more advanced information.

Coming back to the recipe, I basically had a big jar of couscous lying in the pantry and since I am not a big fan of it I wasn 't giving it much importance as well. However, now my pantry is almost out of stock with every legumes and lentils and so this neglected jar of couscous finally found its place in my menu. I wasn't too sure how it will be accepted by my family, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that they enjoyed the new taste and variety in the regular pizza. It not only tasted yummy, but also offered a unique variation coupled with the regular pizza toppings. All in all, it was a very satisfying meal and feeling happy and relaxed by presenting something healthy for the family to eat. 

                                        

Ingredients

For the couscous

1 cup couscous

1/2 cup hot water

1 tbsp olive oil

Other ingredients

1/3 cup assorted veggies (I used diced carrots, peas, and corn)

2 eggs

Herbs of your choice (I used oregano and basil)

A handful of fresh parsley

1 tbsp olive oil, divided

Salt and pepper to taste

For the topping

2-3 tbsp pizza sauce

1/3 cup sliced mushrooms lightly sauteed in olive oil till the water content dries up

Sliced olives (use as per liking)

Grated cheese

Direction

In a bowl, place the boiling water and add the dry couscous. Nicely mix and keep covered for 10 minutes. Fork well and add 1 tbsp olive oil. 

Blanch the assorted veggies till soft. In a bowl, beat the eggs and half of the olive oil and whip till smooth. Add the couscous, salt, herbs, pepper powder, parsley, and the blanched veggies and mix well. At this point, I transferred the contents into a blender and pulsed a few times to get the mixture together and mash the big chunks. You can also do this with a potato masher. 

Pre-heat the oven at 180 degree celsius. Line a pizza tray or pie dish with parchment paper and transfer the couscous base onto it. Press it down with a spatula and spread it evenly on all sides. Drizzle the remaining olive oil on top and sprinkle some additional pepper powder. 

                                         

Bake in the pre heated oven for 20-25 minutes until the top starts slightly browning and feels little firm. Remove from oven and spread the pizza sauce and arrange the toppings. Garnish with cheese as per your choice and liking and bake it again for 10 minutes until the cheese starts melting and the toppings brown. Serve hot!

                                        

                                        

Buttermilk Wholewheat Herbed Pizza

Some experiments in the kitchen really leave you spellbound. Today's experience with my pizza dough was one such experiment which I am really glad to share. The pizza was superb. Thin crust, soft texture, and the perfect crunch. What else can you ask for? Even my husband, who does not like pizzas at all, served himself 3-4 slices and loved every bite.

My baby, two days back, came back from school and suddenly started ranting about eating a pizza. I don't know where and how she learnt about pizza as neither me nor my husband ever spoke about it. It might be some lesson or video in school which gave her the idea and she totally fell for it. 

Nonetheless, I thought of giving her a taste of it and since she has been having homemade bread for dinner since the past few days, I decided to make some for her. Wholewheat was the obvious option for flour and to make my baking more interesting, I decided to use buttermilk for kneading the dough. I already had gained some confidence while making my Garlic Pinwheels yesterday with buttermilk. However, this time I was working with wholewheat flour, which acts tricky at times. The outcome of the experiment was so exhilarating and the veggie toppings with the tomato coriander base sauce only complemented the taste further and this became the best pizza I have ever had! Try it if you also want to enjoy a bite of this heavenly bliss!

                                          

Ingredients

For the dough

1 1/4 cup wholewheat flour

1/4 cup all purpose flour 

1 tsp instant active dry yeast

120 ml warm buttermilk

1 tsp olive oil for rubbing

50 ml warm water (keep it handy while kneading the dough if it turns a little dry)

1 tbsp steak seasoning (you can use any seasoning of your choice or skip it)

3-4 tbsp freshly chopped dill or any herb of your choice

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

For the topping

1/2 cup mixed bell peppers, chopped

1 small onion, diced

3-4 button mushrooms, sliced

Few pieces of feta cheese

Few pieces of olives

2 tbsp any tomato base sauce

2 tbsp green coriander chutney

1 tbsp olive oil mixed with some dried herbs of your choice (I used the olive oil dressing in which the feta cheese and olives came packed in the can)

Cheese to sprinkle on top (optional; I used it only for the part my baby was eating)

Red chilli flakes and oregano while serving

Other Ingredients

1 tbsp or less corn flour for dusting the baking pan

Direction

In a bowl, take the bell peppers, onions, and mushrooms. Now add the olive oil dressing and give a good stir. Cover and marinade for a few hours until used.

In a glass or a bowl, take the warm buttermilk and mix the sugar and yeast. Let it stand for 10 minutes or until frothy. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, salt, dill, seasoning and pour the yeast mixture little at a time to knead a soft and moist but non sticky dough. If you find the dough too dry, add a little warm water. Remember, wholewheat flour absorbs more water than refined flour and so the dough needs to be a little moist but non sticky. Transfer to a clean and dry surface and knead the dough until it no longer feels sticky. Rub a little oil on your hands and rub it on the dough. Cover with a cling wrap and keep it in a warm place until doubled, about 1-2 hours.

                                        

Take the dough out and punch it down for a few times. Cover with the cling wrap and return to the warm place again for the second proofing, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Now take out the dough and place it on a parchment paper. Dust it with some cornflour. Cornflour not only ensures that your pizza will not stick while baking but also imparts a wonderful flavor. With the help of a rolling pin, roll it out from the center towards the sides in a uniform thickness. Brush the top with a little olive oil to avoid getting soggy from the pizza sauce. 

In a bowl, mix the tomato sauce and coriander chutney and spread it out evenly on the rolled out dough. Ensure that the paste is not too heavily spread, else the dough might turn out soggy. Follow it up with some grated cheese. Now sprinkle the oiled veggies including the feta cheese and olives or any other topping that you are using covering all the corners and gaps. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper (optional) and red chilli flakes. Top it with some more grated cheddar cheese (again optional).

                                         

Now pre-heat the oven (do this while getting the pizza ready) at 230 degree celsius for 30 minutes. While pre-heating, place an extra piece of parchment/cookie sheet on the baking tray and pre-heat the sheet as well. This will ensure a crunchy crust at the bottom. 

Bake the pizza in the pre-heated oven at 200 degree celsius for 20 minutes until the crust is golden. Keep checking in between however for the veggies. If you feel the veggies might get burnt, adjust the temperature accordingly. Remove from oven and serve hot.

                                          

Wholewheat Herbed Thin Crust Roasted Veg Pizza

Pizza these days have become a common commodity readily available in every neighborhood. There was a time when I used to survive on pizzas. Then I got into a slimming spree and had to completely do away with this dish and had even lost the craving for it. However, due to my baking stint since the past one year, I have baked so much and so many pizzas that now I can easily mould my way into healthy pizzas without much to worry about those calories. So here is a wonderful way to enjoy your pizza guilt free, to a great extent, and bask in the glory of a self baked pizza.

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour (Aata)

1/4 cup all purpose flour (maida)

1/2 cup warm water

3 tbsp warm milk

2 tbsp olive oil

1 1/8 tsp instant active dry yeast

1/4 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp dry thyme

1 tsp dry basil

For the topping

2-3 tbsp tomato based sauce (you can use regular ketchup or pasta/pizza sauce)

1/2 cup assorted bell peppers, chopped

1/4 cup baby corn, chopped

3-4 baby onions, diced

1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced

Few paneer cubes (optional)

1 tbsp Olive oil 

1 tsp mixed herbs (oregano, basil, rosemary, or of your choice and availability)

1/2 tsp red chilli flakes

1/2 tsp pepper powder

Salt to sprinkle

Grated cheddar cheese for garnishing (as per requirement)

Direction

In a bowl, take the warm water, milk, and sugar and mix. Now add the yeast and dissolve completely and let it stand for about 10 minutes until foamy and frothy.

In another bowl, mix the flour and salt and add the dry herbs. Pour in the yeasty mix and a little oil (do not put the entire oil at one go) and knead a soft and elastic dough. Take the dough on a clean surface and knead further for about 10 minutes until smooth and soft. This is very important to release the gluten from the flour. Cover with a cling wrap and keep in a warm place for about 1-2 hours until doubled. Since it is whole wheat flour, I had kept it a little longer although the dough had doubled in 1 hour itself. Take out the dough and knead again on a clean surface for 5 minutes. Cover again with the cling wrap and keep it back in the warm place for the second proofing, about an hour. 

Meanwhile, prepare the topping. In a bowl, put the olive oil and the herbs and mix well. Pour this oil over the chopped veggies, onions and mushrooms and toss everything well. Ensure every piece is coated well with the herbed dressing. 

Now take out the dough and place it on a parchment paper. With the help of a rolling pin, roll it out from the center towards the sides in a uniform thickness. Spread out the tomato paste evenly on the rolled out dough. Ensure that the paste is not too heavily spread, else the dough might turn out soggy. Now sprinkle the oiled veggies covering all the corners and gaps. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper and red chilli flakes. Top it with grated cheddar cheese.

Now pre-heat the oven (do this while getting the pizza ready) at 230 degree celsius for 20 minutes. While pre-heating, place an extra piece of parchment/cookie sheet on the baking tray and pre-heat the sheet as well. This will ensure a crunchy crust at the bottom. 

Bake the pizza in the pre-heated oven at 200 degree celsius for 20 minutes until the crust is golden. Keep checking in between however for the veggies. If you feel the veggies might get burnt, adjust the temperature accordingly.

                                          

                                          

Smoked Chicken Sausage Pizza

Pizza has always been one of my favorite dishes but ironically, I hardly get to eat it. The reason being my husband who just hates it. So this week, while he is away, I am giving some priority to my likes and making myself feel good. I had some smoked chicken sausages lying in the fridge which will serve as the main topping for the pizza. You can use any topping that you have at hand. 

Ingredients (makes 1 large pizza)

For the pizza base

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 1/8 tsp dry yeast

1/2 cup warm water

3 tbsp warm milk

1/8 tsp sugar

1/8 tsp salt

2 tbsp olive oil (or any oil)

For the topping

6 tbsp medium spicy tomato salsa (you can use any tomato based sauce for this; i had this lying in the fridge)

1 pkt reduced fat cheese slices (you can use grated cheese as well; the quantity depends on your liking)

1/2 cup sliced mushrooms

2 smoked chicken sausages cut into small roundels

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

1/2 cup bell peppers (preferably, in all three colors)

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp parsley

Salt to sprinkle on top

Directions

Take warm water and milk in a small bowl and add sugar and sprinkle in the yeast. Stir the mixture until yeast is dissolved and water has turned a tan color. Let it stand until foamy. This will take about 10 minutes. 

Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, add flour and salt. Then add the yeast mixture and oil. Knead the dough till it is smooth, not sticky, when squeezed. Transfer to a clean surface and knead for another 5 to 10 minutes. You might need to add a little more flour if it is still quite sticky.

Grease a medium bowl with oil and place the dough in the bowl, smooth side up. Cover tightly with a plastic wrap or aluminium foil and place in a warm spot (I kept in the microwave) until doubled in size, about 1hour. Remove the wrap and press your fist into the center of the dough to punch it down. Fold the dough back onto itself four or five times. Turn dough over, folded-side down, cover with plastic wrap, and return to the warm spot to rise again until the dough has doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

Punch down the dough, and transfer to a clean surface. Knead the dough four or five turns into a ball. Lightly flour a clean surface, place the dough, and pat into a flattened circle. Using your fingers, begin to flatten and push the dough evenly out from the center until it measures about 7 to 8 inches in diameter. Do not press the dough all the way to the edges. Leave a slightly raised border, about a half-inch wide, around entire circumference of pizza dough.

Preheat the oven for 20 minutes at 230 degree celsius. 

Arrange the pizza dough into a circle on top of a greased baking flat tray. Leaving the raised edge uncovered, pour the pizza sauce onto the dough. Using the back of a tablespoon, evenly spread the sauce leaving a half-inch border of dough uncovered. Arrange half of the cheese slices on top of the sauce and arrange all the other toppings. Cover with left over cheese slices.

Bake until the crust is golden brown and crisp on the edges and the bottom, 10-12 minutes. Using a pizza wheel, slice the pizza and serve immediately.