Presto Pantry Pizza

I'm not great with dough. It gets gooey and sticky, and I get impatient when yeast is involved. But this dough is too easy and quick.

Matt & I were watching a Travel Network show on The Best Pizza in the USA. Beautiful cheesy pies were luring us in on the screen, and we both had instant cravings for pizza. He had work in 90 minutes and I decided to whip up a pizza. Or try desperately.

Using this yeast-free pizza dough as inspiration, here we go. Oh yeah, and we had very little food in the house that meshed with pizza. No tomatoes, shredded mozzarella, bacon, pepperoni, even bell peppers. Nothing! But we had spinach, fresh garlic, spices and "shakey cheese" (the stuff in the canister, I know, I know). This pizza is for nights when you can't bear to go to the grocery store...or get greasy delivery. This pizza is for curling up with a blanket, trying not to burn your mouth on the fresh dough that you just made from scratch(!), and for filling up your growling stomach quickly. While this is probably safe to make with 1 cup wheat flour and 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, I have yet to test that theory. So, for now, we'll indulge with all white flour...

It's not the prettiest, but it's completely delicious.

Presto Pantry Pizza
Makes 8-10 filing slices
Dough:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 TB olive oil
1 cup water

Mix: Preheat oven to 400. Mix the dry ingredients together. Then add water and oil and work with your hands until dough is blended.

Knead: Form a ball and knead for a few minutes, dusting with extra flour if needed. Form into a round shape with hands. Dust a baking pan with cornmeal flour and place dough in center of pan. Spread out as thin as you prefer and fold up edges to form a crust.

Season: This is where you can get creative. This is what I added to the entire pizza:

• Dash of crushed red pepper
• Generous dashes of garlic powder
• Pinch of sea salt
• Generous dashes of Italian seasoning
• Dash of dried rosemary
• 1/3 cup parmesan
• Light drizzle of olive oil, including over the crust
• 2 cups of fresh spinach, steamed with fresh garlic, sea salt, and black pepper, then drained and "dalloped" all over pizza
• For my hubby: 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese sprinkled over half of the pizza

If you have anything like these, I would add them:

• Most any cheese (mozzarella, parmigiano-reggiano, asiago, feta, goat, fontega, jack, provolone, munster, swiss)
• Can of mushrooms, drained
• Pineapple
• Lunchmeat/pepperoni/salami/bacon
• Olives, banana peppers, pepperoncinis
• Sauce/sliced tomatoes
• Hummus
• Broccoli, asparagus, bell peppers, onions, kale, etc.

And after!

Bake: Bake the pizza for 20--25 minutes at 400. Let cool for a few minutes. Slice and devour, with a glass of orange juice on ice--my favorite pairing with pizza. Yes, I know it's sorta weird. :)

Before...

Happy Friday night eating!
Laurel