A quick and easy way to make perfect homemade pizzas (with a super thin crust!) every time. With a couple of neat cheats and shortcuts, you can have freshly-made pizza on the table in just 30 minutes. (With a proper bread base NOT a scone pizza base!)
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Speedy homemade pizzas – with a proper bread base!
There are many recipes out there for quick and easy pizzas, but they all seem to involve using self-raising flour, which results in a scone-style pizza base… which to me tastes all wrong!
For me a pizza is only a pizza if it has a proper bread base, made with bread flour and yeast…
My first little cheat is that I use a packet of ciabatta bread mix, which you can easily get from most supermarkets (And also Amazon!). This speeds up the prep time AND makes these Easy Peasy Homemade Pizzas taste EVEN BETTER!
(If you’d rather make the bases from scratch, though, I’ve included instructions for that in the recipe below too!)
Speedy homemade pizzas – with a thin crust!
The other issue with homemade pizzas – even the bread based ones – is that so often the base is too thick and doughy. I don’t know about you, but I like a super thin crust! And I have a super neat cheat to achieve it…
I only knead the dough for a couple of minutes, and I don’t bother to prove the pizza dough at all!
That might sound crazy, but the reason is very simple: if you treat the pizza dough like you are making bread, it will behave like bread dough and puff up in the oven giving you a very thick bready base. But by doing it my way: barely kneading the pizza dough and not leaving it to rise at all, it doesn’t puff up and instead gives you a super thin, super crisp base!
A super easy recipe…
As a result of my little tricks and cheats, my Easy Peasy Homemade Pizza recipe is super easy and super quick!
All you need to do is make the bread mix up according to the packet instructions, give it a quick 2 minute knead, divide it into 4 and roll out 4 pizza bases. Then place the bases on 4 greased pizza trays (see below if you don’t have any pizza trays), top with your chosen toppings and bake in a hot oven for 10 minutes.
Perfect thin and crispy based homemade pizza in under 30 minutes!
Perfect for making with kids!
This quick and easy pizza recipe is perfect for making with kids. My kids LOVE helping me! In fact, my kids have been making these pizzas since they were tiny…
I get the kids to grease their tins, then we make up the pizza base mix together. I then divide the dough up and give each child a bit to roll out to roughly the size of their tin. They each get a blob of passata to spread and then I let them put whatever they want on the top before cooking them in the oven. So easy and so much fun (though admittedly the tidying up afterwards is not quite so much fun!)
You could even use this recipe for a kids pizza making party if you wanted too (though be prepared for the mess… and the kids who put ALL the toppings on their pizza and then complain they don’t like some of the toppings 😂)
Kid-sized pizzas…
When my 2 kids were little, a whole pizza was too much for them, so I went out and bought 2 basic 7inch cake tins. They are the perfect size for little kids and and meant they could both make their own pizzas – much nicer than having to share one. (Although you could always let them make a large one each and use the leftovers in their lunchboxes the next day!)
No pizza trays? No problem!
I use 12inch / 30cm pizza trays for my Easy Peasy Homemade Pizzas. (You can get similar ones here.)
But don’t worry if you don’t have any pizza trays… you can use baking trays, roasting trays or any other metal tray that will go in the oven. Just make sure you grease them well with olive oil or the pizzas will stick!
Toppings for homemade pizza
What toppings you put on your pizzas is entirely up to you! I always start with a base of passata, but what goes on next varies… However, my favourite combo (and the one I’ve put in the recipe card below) is:
- Mushrooms
- Red pepper
- Black olives
- Proscuitto
- Oregano
- Black pepper
- Cheddar cheese (Yes, really – see below!)
TOP TIP: Be careful not to load your pizza up too much with too many toppings, or it will take ages in the oven and you’ll end up with a soggy bottom and burnt cheese. Less is definitely more in pizza world, I find!
The perfect cheese for homemade pizzas?
OK, I am going to be super controversial here. I prefer cheddar cheese on pizza, not the usual mozzarella!
Why?
Well, two reasons… firstly, I prefer the flavour! There’s just something about a good strong cheddar that gives pizza an extra dimension… and it goes so well with the passata and the other toppings.
Secondly, it’s more practical… I always have cheddar cheese in my house, it’s cheaper, and there’s less faff!
I realise this will be sacrilege to many… and by all means use mozzarella, if you prefer it! But if you love cheddar cheese, I highly recommend you try it on pizza… it really does work!
What to serve with Homemade Pizza?
I like to keep things super easy and just serve a simple side salad with these Easy Peasy Homemade Pizzas!
What to drink with Homemade Pizza?
Pizza is very wine friendly and will go with a lot of different wines. My favourite choice is Italian reds, and specifically Chianti. For me Chianti and pizza are a match made in heaven. Other good Italian options would be a Valpolicella or a Montepulciano d’Abruzzo.
Other good non-Italian options include Chilean Merlot, Rioja (Joven or Crianza) and New World reds made from Sangiovese. (Sangiovese is the main grape variety in Chianti.)
What to do with leftover Homemade Pizza?
If you end up with leftovers, this homemade pizza keeps very well in the fridge. Simply place the cooked and cooled pizza in an airtight container in the fridge, where it will keep for up to 3 days.
This pizza is delicious cold, straight from the fridge, but can also be reheated. To reheat, set your oven to 200C (180C fan / gas mark 6 / 400F) and place the cold pizza on a pizza tray / baking tray. Put it straight in the oven (don’t wait for the oven to warm up!) and cook for 5-10 minutes, or until it’s piping hot and the base has crisped up again.
I don’t recommend reheating pizza in the microwave (soggy base issues!)
Can you freeze Homemade Pizza?
You can – I’ll be honest, it’s not as good after freezing, but it’ll work! Simply place the cooked and cooled pizza in an airtight container in the freezer, where it will keep for up to 1 month. Defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat as above.
If you like this recipe…
…you might also like:
Easy Peasy Homemade Pizzas
Ingredients
Pizza bases
Either:
- 500 g packet white bread mix (I use Wrights Ciabatta Bread Mix)
- 350 ml lukewarm water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Or, if you’d rather make the bases from scratch:
- 500 g strong white bread flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 7 g fast action yeast
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 350 ml lukewarm water
Toppings suggestions:
- 350 g passata (I use Cirio Passata Rustica)
- 8 slices prosciutto
- 6 chestnut mushrooms sliced very thinly
- 1 red pepper sliced very thinly
- A handful of black olives sliced
- 200 g cheddar cheese grated (or use mozzarella, if you prefer!)
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- Black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 230C / 210C fan / gas mark 8 / 450F. Grease 4 large or 8 small pizza trays using about a teaspoon of olive oil for each one.
- If you are using a packet mix, simply follow the instructions on the packet. If you are making the pizza dough from scratch, mix together the flour, yeast and salt, then add the olive oil and stir. Slowly add the water until the mixture comes together to form a fairly dry dough. (You may not need all the water. Start with 300ml and see how it goes, add it in little bits after that.)
- Knead the pizza dough for 2 minutes on a floured surface.
- Divide the dough up into 4 equal sized pieces (or 8 if you are making small ones) – I use my scales to make this easier and more accurate.
- Roll out each piece to the size of the pizza tray. The small ones should fit a 7 inch cake tin. The large ones will fit a 12 inch pizza tray. Put the rolled out dough in the pizza tins. If you don’t have a pizza tray, use a baking tray of a similar size instead.
- Put 2 tablespoons of passata on each of the small pizzas and 4 tablespoons on the large ones. Spread the passata all over the base leaving a thin border all around the pizza. (As you can see from the photo above, my children never bother with the border!)
- Add your toppings. I would use prosciutto, red pepper, mushrooms, olives, cheddar cheese, a sprinkling of oregano and a few twists of black pepper.
- Put the pizzas in the oven for about 10 minutes, but check after 5 minutes. You may find you need to move the pizzas around so they cook evenly. If you are making a lot of pizzas, or if the pizzas have a lot of toppings on them, they make take a bit more time, so keep your eye on them.
- The pizzas are ready when the cheese is bubbling and the base is a light golden brown and crispy, not soggy. (If you discover as you are cutting the pizza that the base is still a bit soggy, just pop it back in the pizza tray and back in the oven for a couple more minutes.)
Notes
- Suitable for freezing.
- Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
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This blog post contains affiliate links, this means if you click on a link and go on to buy the product I recommend, I will get a small commission, but you will not be charged a penny more – thanks in advance!
Elysia says
Looks amazing I posted homemade pizza too this week, I’m definitely going to give the kneading a miss if it works for you thanks for the tip. #kidscorner
Eb Gargano says
Thanks, Elysia. I really do prefer the texture of the base when I skip the kneading and proving part – really thin and crispy. Let me know what you think if you try it!
Hayley says
Brilliant! Thank you. Perfect when you have an extra two kids and need emergency pizza – usually make the dough in the bread machine, but that only makes enough for 2!
Eb Gargano says
Aw yay – that’s so great to hear! Thanks for this lovely review and especially the 5* rating 😀
Alison says
I love homemade pizza, such fun to make with kids. Yours looks lovely
Eb Gargano says
Thanks, Alison. My kids absolutely love making pizza – they really like choosing their own toppings and doing things ‘their’ way!
Katy says
I have never made pizza but this looks fab! x
Eb Gargano says
Thank you, Katy! It’s such a great activity to do with the kids and really very easy. I now get a big groan from the kids if I tell them we are having a shop-bought pizza because they love making their own so much! x
Jan Mann says
I made the pizza dough from scratch from your recipe, I only had tomato purée to put on the base, pepperoni, thinly sliced peppers and lots of cheese. I halved the ingredients and made one large one for my son. It was lovely, he even likes it cold!
Eb Gargano says
Aw, yay! That’s so good to hear 😀 Thanks for this lovely comment and especially the 5* rating! Eb 🙂
Laura S Mast says
I am a little confused re using a mix. Do you just put the mix plus oil plus water or do you make up the usual directions for the mix then add the oil and water?
Eb Gargano says
Hi Laura, I do apologise that this was not clear. You should use the packet mix plus one lot of oil and water. (I have included suggested quantities of oil and water in my instructions, but feel free to use the quantities given on the packet instructions instead, if they differ.) Definitely don’t double up or you will end up with a very runny pizza dough that will be impossible to work with. Hope that helps! Eb 🙂
Janice says
Homemade pizza is always so much nicer. Thanks for the clear instructions.
Eb Gargano says
You are welcome! I totally agree about homemade pizza 😀
Sandhya S says
We love Homemade Pizza’s and this looks fantastic. Using Ciabatta bread base is a clever idea – I can’t wait to try it.
Eb Gargano says
Aw, thanks Sandhya!
Choclette says
Ooh yes please. I want pizza now. I do like mozzarella on my pizzas, but I’m also happy with cheddar. And as you say, we always have cheddar in the house, not so much mozzarella.
Eb Gargano says
Thanks Choclette. Yeah – I like mozzarella too, but I like cheddar even more!
Jack Hay says
Nice and easy peasy (especially using bread machine for dough) and wonderful for a Saturday lunch for two!
So many thanks for yet ‘another’ favourite (made today). It was delicious and a nice thin base.
Eb Gargano says
Thanks so much Jack – I am so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe so much 😀
Emer O'Shea says
So glad I found this site, pizza turned out delicious! The tips for a great pizza are so spot on. I used a ready made skinny italian pizza base as I couldn’t source the bread mix and used the few ingredients as suggested and of course this made all the difference. I’m so delighted with the result! Can’t wait to make more!
Eb Gargano says
Oh yay – I am so happy to hear you liked this recipe so much! Thank you so much for such a lovely review 😀
Dave Coates says
Made this today with a couple of friends who are not confident at cooking. Worked really well! Thanks for the warning about minimal kneading and possibly reduced water. Using a packet of bread mix made it even easier.
Eb Gargano says
Yay! I am so happy to hear this 😀 Thanks so much for leaving a review… and especially for the 5 star rating! Eb 🙂