Quick and Easy Pizza Dough Recipes

While it is not known who the first person was that created the pizza, it has been eaten for centuries by the peasants in Italy. The historians of food concur that dishes similar to the pizza have formed a part of the diet of many cultures in the Mediterranean region, which includes the Egyptians, Phoenicians and Greeks.

However, the pizza as we know it today is thought to have been created by Raffaele Esposito, a baker of Naples. This came about in 1889 when the Italian king of that time, Umberto I, paid a visit along with his queen, Margherita. To mark the occasion, Raffaele Esposito, who was the owner of Pizzeria di Pietro, a restaurant, baked a special bread which he named ‘pizza’.

It was in the 19th century that the pizza arrived on American shores along with the Italians who migrated here. It is said that Chicago got its first chewy taste of pizza when a hawker, carrying his ware of pizzas in a metal washtub on his head, walked along the streets of the city calling out for people to buy them for two cents a piece. This used to be how pizza was peddled in Naples; in cylindrical drums made of copper that had a double bottom where burning charcoal could be packed so that the pizzas could be kept warm.

Irrespective of its origins, this simple bread with its myriads of delicious toppings continues to be a much loved quick bite for lunch or as a snack, which can be made in a jiff at home with these quick and easy pizza dough recipes.

Quick and Easy Pizza Dough

2 ½ cups of flour
1 25 oz package of active dry yeast
1 tsp white sugar
1 cup of warm water
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt

Begin by preheating the oven to 230 degrees C or 450 degrees F. Then, dissolve the sugar and yeast in the warm water, in a medium sized bowl. Allow it to stand for about 10 minutes, until it turns creamy. Next, stir in the oil, flour and salt. Beat this mixture until it becomes smooth. Keep it aside for about 5 minutes. Place this dough on a surface that is lightly floured, and roll or pat into a circular, flat shape. Put this rolled dough on a pizza pan that has been greased lightly. Spread with whatever topping you want and bake for about 15-20 minutes.

Garlic and Onion Flavored Quick Pizza Dough

2½ cups of flour
1 package of dry yeast
1 cup of lukewarm water
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp garlic powder, salt-free
1/2 tsp onion powder, salt-free
1 tbsp honey

Put the water and yeast in a glass bowl and mix them well. Add the other ingredients, kneading them all thoroughly. Cover the bowl with a towel and allow the dough to sit for about 5-10 minutes. Flatten the dough on a greased pan. Spread whatever topping you want and bake for 12 minute at 230 degrees C or 450 degrees F.

Herb and Garlic Easy Pizza Dough

2 cups flour
3/4 cup of warm water
1 tbsp olive oil, extra-virgin
1 tsp basil leaves, dried
1 tsp oregano leaves, dried
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp active dry yeast
1/4 tsp salt

Put all the ingredients in a bread machine at dough setting and process according to the manufacturer’s instructions. In the mean time, preheat the pizza tiles or stone to 230 degrees C or 450 degrees and prepare the toppings you want.

After the bread machine completes its dough cycle, remove the dough and place on a lightly greased surface and knead it for a while and then cover with a towel and let it stand for about 10 minutes.

Then, roll the dough into a circular shape and place it on a prepared peel. Next, brush the top with some olive oil, spread your topping, and bake for about 15 minutes, until the top becomes bubbly and the bottom gets brown.