Quick Pizza on Kefir Dough in 30 Minutes
When you're hungry and short on time, a simple pizza recipe comes in very handy. Making the dough and adding the toppings takes about 10 minutes, and it bakes for another 20. So pizza in half an hour, or a little more, is entirely doable. As a rule, you'll have everything for the dough and toppings at home, or you can get it at the nearest store.
There are lots of quick pizza dough recipes. Around here, yeast dough is the usual choice, and it takes time. For some reason that often puts people off making pizza. Though I think the dough is the easiest part. Just mix the dry ingredients, add water and olive oil in exact proportions, and the dough is guaranteed to work.
Of course, the dough needs time to rise. But hands-on work is actually minimal. An alternative I like is quick, practically instant pizza dough made with kefir. I've described how to make it in detail in my recipe. For a fluffier bake, I always add a little baking powder to this dough.
For toppings, you can use all sorts of simple, easy-to-find ingredients. I remember that when I was a kid, pizza was made from whatever was in the fridge. A good approach, by the way; many people still do it. True, a small pizza ended up with over a kilo of toppings, as thick as a matchstick is long. But those are just memories. Back then, a pizza like that could be the only dish for the whole family.
That's hard to say; it all depends on what you feel like and what you have. Of the easy options, go for cheese, tomato sauce or ketchup, olives and a few herbs: green onion, basil. I suggest adding a pinch of dried oregano. If you like, use sausage, cold cuts or mushrooms.
This pizza takes only half an hour, not counting a trip to the store, so use ingredients that need no cooking beforehand. Turn on the oven ahead of time so it heats to 180°C. And get a baking pan ready, greased with a little vegetable oil. After that, nothing tricky: knead the dough, add the toppings and put it in the oven. Important: don't use sour-tasting kefir.
Ingredients
22 cm pizza
- For the dough
- Wheat flour 1.5 cups
- Low-fat kefir 100 ml
- Vegetable oil 1-1.5 tbsp
- Baking powder as needed
- Salt 1 pinch
- For the topping
- Soft cheese (Dorblu, mozzarella, etc.) 50 g
- Tomato sauce or ketchup 1 tbsp
- Green onion stalks 2-3
- Olives 8-10
- Capers optional
- Grated Parmesan 1 tbsp
- Oregano to taste
- Basil, arugula for serving
Step-by-step recipe
- With the oven on, get the pan ready and start on the dough. Quick pizza dough with kefir and baking powder is easy. In a bowl, combine 1 cup of sifted flour, a pinch of fine salt and a little store-bought baking powder; don't use a packet that's been sitting open. Use kefir that isn't sour, at room temperature, or warm it in the microwave for 10-15 seconds. Mix all the dry ingredients. Add 1-1.5 tbsp vegetable oil to the kefir and pour it into the flour. Knead the dough; you can add a bit more flour so it's soft and not sticky. Put the dough in the pan and spread it over the whole surface.
- In home cooking I usually use tomato sauce, a seasonal batch put up for winter. Or, which is fine too, a good store-bought ketchup. Spread a little sauce on the dough, not too much, so the topping doesn't swim in it. Then add your cheese. I use mozzarella or any blue cheese from the nearest store, Dorblu or Roquefort. Slice a piece of cheese thinly and lay it over the sauce.
- To give the quick pizza a pronounced, zesty flavor, I add a little finely chopped green onion. I also scatter pitted black olives, which are easy to find too; I buy the smallest ones. If I have them, I add a few capers; they're great on pizza. Be sure to sprinkle the top with a pinch of dried oregano and a little grated Parmesan.
- And that's it, ready to bake. The oven has heated to 180°C, the dough and toppings are in place. All that's left is to put the pan in the oven and wait 20 minutes. While it bakes, turn the pan once or twice; ovens often bake unevenly. The yeast-free dough will rise a little as it bakes and turn very soft. In that time, the dough is sure to be done.
- Check the dough by lifting the edge of the pizza with the tip of a knife: if the bottom has started to brown, it's done; don't overbake it. Transfer the pizza to a large plate or board and slice. I usually scatter fresh basil leaves on top, especially in season, or throw on a small handful of arugula, which is always available whatever the season. Like any dish of this kind, pizza is served hot, straight out of the oven.
- Among simple, easy-to-find toppings, slices of sausage are especially interesting; they're sold pre-sliced. Pickled mushrooms are worth a try too. In vegetable season, you can very quickly make tomato pulp with a garlic clove and olive oil, and you'll have a pizza marinara.
Serves: 22 cm pizza Calories: 270 Prep: 10 mins Cook: 20 mins Total: 30 mins Category: Pizza Cuisine: European Rating: