Quick and Easy Homemade Pizza

On By MeghaIn Food

Pizza is one of those food items about which no matter how much is said/ written it’ll be inadequate, the same way as there are countless varieties (topping-wise, cheese-wise and even the flour proportions and mixtures of flours used) of one simple recipe.

I baked my first pizza from the scratch when I was in grade 8 in school. That was the time I had read about yeast in my science class and the idea of seeing it multiply so rapidly right before our eyes (well not literally) made me experiment with it.

I know most of us have tried making a pizza at home. There is no secret to it’s a relatively easy recipe. I’d like to share some of the tips and tricks I have learnt about home-made pizzas over the years.

Homemade Pizza:

Easy, step by step, a foolproof recipe of homemade pizza. Also, learn details of making your own pizza dough and pizza sauce in quick and easy steps in an oven and gas tandoor. #theerailivedin #homemadePizzaRecipe #PizzaRecipes #IndianPizza #pizza #

The Pizza has been baked in a gas tandoor instead of a conventional oven and mozzarella cheese chunks have been used instead of grated cheese

Servings: 4

Difficulty Level: Easy

Ingredients:

For the base:

  • All purpose flour (Maida) – 1 cup
  • Whole wheat flour (Atta) – 1 cup
  • Fresh yeast (I highly recommend the Urban Platter Active Dry Yeast for great results) -1/2 tbsp
  • Sugar -1/2 Tsp
  • Salt – 1 Tsp
  • Olive oil/vegetable oil – 2 Tsp

For the Sauce:

  • Tomato puree/ paste – 4 tbsp
  • Tomato sauce – 2 tbsp
  • Garlic – 4 cloves
  • Ginger – 1/2 inch
  • Olive oil/ vegetable oil – 1.5 tbsp
  • Butter – 1 tbsp
  • Black Pepper (ground) – 1/4 tsp
  • Sugar – 1/2 Tsp
  • Salt to taste

For the toppings:

  • Mozzarella Cheese (grated) – 200 gm
  • Toppings of your choice ( I use diced red, yellow and green capsicum, pineapple, olives, onion, basil leaves, jalapenos, potatoes [ they need to be as thin as we slice them to make chips], cubes of fresh paneer, baby corn, fresh corn kernels, etc.

To bake:

You don’t necessarily need to have an oven (conventional one) to make a pizza. If you don’t have an oven, use a thick bottomed pan with a well fitting lid to cook the pizza keeping the flame low.

You can even make use of a Gas Tandoor, the device used to make naan, bati (of daal bati churma fame), tandoori roti and the like.

Method:

Pre-heat the oven at 200-degree centigrade.

To make the pizza base:

The proofed, well-risen pizza dough made with all-purpose flour and active dry yeast. #theerailivedin #pizzadough #homemadepizza #pizzarecipes #IndianPizza

  • In a bowl mix yeast with 1 cup lukewarm water (not too hot else it will kill the yeast) and sugar. Stir well and leave aside for the yeast to rise. As the yeast rises you’ll notice a lot of bubbling/frothing in the water.
  • Mix all purpose flour with whole wheat flour in a bowl and add salt to it. Knead the dough using the yeast water.
  • Add oil to the dough and knead well.
  • Cover the dough with a damp cloth and set aside till the dough rises to double its volume.
  • Knock back the dough once it rises, cover and set aside to rise again.
  • Dust table top with a little dry flour, take half the dough and roll into a ball. Further, pat it with fingers to a round shape, do not worry to give it a perfect shape. Though a rolling pin can also be used. The thickness is to be kept according to the type of base you like.
  • Prick the dough with a fork to avoid it from rising in the centre.

To make the sauce:

Ready-made Tomato ketchup/ Pizza sauce can also be used. If you prefer making the pizza sauce from scratch the recipe I use is:

  • In a thick bottomed pan heat the oil and add butter to it.
  • Add the finely chopped onion and ginger garlic paste and saute till onions get transparent.
  • Add tomato sauce and tomato paste and saute till a smooth mix is obtained.
  • Add the remaining ingredients and cook on medium flame will the butter leaves sides.

To prepare the toppings: 

  • In a non-stick pan drizzle some olive oil and one teaspoon butter. Toss the freshly chopped vegetables and Paneer of choice for two minutes.
  • Add some salt, chilli flakes and oregano. Set aside.

Toppings for a home-made pizza tossed in a pan with some butter. Read the step by step recipe to prepare homemade pizza with an easy, quick recipe. #theerailivedin #pizzarecipes #homemadePizzaRecipes #pizzaToppings #IndianPizza

To assemble the Pizza:

  • In a baking tray apply some oil to help remove the pizza easily. Now place the pizza base and spread the prepared sauce on top.
  • Spread freshly cracked black pepper on the sauce.
  • Add toppings of your choice along with mozzarella cheese and bake in the oven or cook in a pan till the cheese melts and gets a golden brown tinge.
  • Feel free to garnish it with herbs of your choice (thyme, oregano, red chilli flakes, etc.)

Serving Suggestion: Cut into wedges and eat hot.

Easy, step by step, a foolproof recipe of homemade pizza. Also, learn details of making your own pizza dough and pizza sauce in quick and easy steps in an oven and gas tandoor. #theerailivedin #homemadePizzaRecipe #PizzaRecipes #IndianPizza #pizza

Tip: While baking a pizza in a tray is simple, I prefer doing it in a large cake tin because it helps me get that perfect round shape without a hassle and then demoulding it is a breeze when you use a springform cake tin.

For more recipes from my kitchen, visit my food corner.

*Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

44 thoughts on “Quick and Easy Homemade Pizza”

  3. Wah! thats super duper yummy looking….and since you inspired me so much, let me ask a question *Dont faint that RM is thinking about making this :)*

    Can I use wheat flour completely instead of using maida? Will it work as well?

    Also, can I adjust the thickness to make it thin crust?

    I have always made pizzas with ready made base on the tava (yes yes, dont faint again, I have made pizzas 🙂 ) now making my own whole wheat base sounds like a good option..

    Like

  4. lovely and yummy…i must try..how do u find time for this with this naughty girl around.. since daughter popped out, i cud hardly find time for experimenting in kitchen

    Like

    1. I have her watching me doing most of it sitting in the high chair and I keep feeding her ingredients too 😉
      Give it a try zradar, it’s a yummy family meal 😀

      Like

  5. greenboochi

    WOW… it looks so yummy!! I made my first pizza at home when I was in 10th Std 🙂 From a simple tava based pizza that day to pizzas being made from the scratch, I too have come a long way in cooking 🙂

    you have made me hungry at this hour! Let me see if I can make it now 🙂

    Like

  6. Bikramjit Singh Mann

    That looks yummy.

    Here in ASDA superstore you can go and select what you want .. I usually put in cheese-chicken-ham-bacon-mixed peppers and mini sausages 🙂

    yeah a BIG one

    Like

  7. Wow! This looks super yummy and easy too! 🙂 I usually buy readymade bases, and then make my own sauce and toppings at home. Would love to try out the base at home too.

    I have a question though – the few occasions I have used yeast, it never foams after the proofing that I do. I use active dry yeast, and it has never been foaming and frothing the way I have seen in pictures. I think the yeast is fresh enough – I just asked my cousin to get some from the USA after having a problem with the ones I tried in India, and that too didn’t foam. I think there’s something wrong with the way I am trying to proof the yeast. If that issue is sorted, I would really love to try this out. Any suggestions?

    Like

    1. What I have read and understood about yeast proofing is that,
      first the temperature of water should be just warm. Test it by dipping your finger in it, if you feel it’s lukewarm good enough to be able to drink it’s right, any hotter than that kills the yeast.

      Next always add sugar and stir the solution to make sugar easily available to the yeast.

      Last but most important, never add SALT while proofing. If you need to add salt, like we should in this base recipe add it to the flour. Salt is a known retarder of yeast growth.

      Place a lid over the prepared yeast solution and keep it in a warm place, somewhere like a kitchen bench but never in direct sunlight nor on just-turned-off-stove for it kills the yeast.

      I hope it helps 😀

      If nothing works, get some wet yeast from any nearby bakery for they use that to make fresh bread on a regular basis 🙂

      Like

  8. Life is not fair with me… I am fasting today and I happen to read this of all the blogs… 😥 Now I am feeling very Hungry!! ME, Why do u do this to me?? 😥 sob sob..

    Wow yummilicious!! Plz can u share ur home address, I shall drop by n hv the Pizza u hv just displayed.. I may defenetley prepare Pizza in the future, BUT I am 100% confident that it will not be from scratch!!

    Kuddos to u ME!! It really looks yummm..My mouth is already Watering!!!!!!!!

    Like

    1. Sorry darling to have tempted you on the day you are fasting.
      Don’t worry to go by full recipe, try the recipe with a market bought pizza bases that too turns out pretty good 🙂

      Like

  12. Have never tried making the base of a pizza at home! Will go for it sometime! And yes, it looks so very tempting, that I wanna have it RIGHT NOW!! 😀

    Like

  15. ME !

    You know what I loved the most about this? Actually 2 things:

    1. You don’t need a conventional oven – honestly, I just have a microwave and don’t think I will be baking much this year though I really want to. so I will stick to tava with proper lid 🙂
    2. It is from the scratch 🙂

    Thanks ME 🙂

    Like

  19. Unfortunately, din have my oven here.. so could not bake it.. but your tips are good.. shall try makin it from the scratch… you must hv seen my post was a quick fix thingy lol…

    Babes.. your pizza looks tempting.. i want to have again… 😀

    By the way… it’s indeed a matter of joy and great taste when it’s home cooked.. naah?

    Muchhhhh Love 🙂

    Like

  20. sdass

    i liked the closely knit network. My daughter is very fussy when it comes to eating. I am out of stories and out of ideas to make her have her food. Pls send me any recipes if you would like to help

    Like

  21. Jyoti

    I dont hv microwave…so cn i mke in gas tandoor…n second doubts is before put topping and sauce on base..first i hv bake it for some tym or not…or i can dirctly put sauce n topping n den put it ma tandoor..i want make very thin crust pizza…so ur recipe ll wrkful..

    Like

    1. Hi Jyoti,
      Yes the recipe will work in gas tandoor. But for that please bake the base before you put on the toppings & bake the second time.
      Do share how the pizza turned out 🙂

      Like

  22. Jhansi Das

    Hi,
    Recipe was yumm,but with pics it could have been yummier..I am planning to have a pizza party at office by prep pizzas in microwave

    Like

  23. Sara

    Lovely pics! You know ME, I wonder if it’s us Indians are the only ones who make so much fuss about maida. I mean it’s not some food fad like the current gluten free thingy but even our grandmothers knew that maida isn’t healthy. Also notice that a majority of Indian snacks are made using pulse flour and not maida and most desserts use just diary. I follow a lot of expat blogs and most of them crib about how Indian food is so evil with all the carbs and unhealthy fats. OK apart from rice I don’t know how Indian curries and subzis are evil because who makes rich buttery gravies every single day? That too for all three meals? Now continental food involves bread at almost every meal, heck u even get bread as a side dish to salad and almost all of their snacks and desserts are made using maida. Today I made a white pasta dish with chicken and roasted tomato. Now I can’t eat pasta much so I made garlic cheese bread too! Just imagine how much maida my meal consisted of excluding the roux in the sauce. How is this any healthy than the average indian meal?

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I believe it is the way one cooks a particular type of food that determines its nutritional value. So using healthy oil options, limiting the amount of oil/butter, using alternative ingredients can keep any recipe on the healthier side.
      However, if authentic flavours are to be considered, Indian food is considered overcooked in too much oil/ ghee, killing its all nutritional value. I agree with you that all cultures have foods that lie on both ends of the health spectrum.

      Thank you Sara for sharing your views 😊

      Like

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