Recipe Revamp: Pizza - made at home

One of the very first foods I learned to cook was pizza by using the Chef Boyardee pizza kit. I've since found and modified a dough recipe that is super easy, so I haven't used this box in years. I decided to check out the ingredient list to see what was really lurking in this box and share my favorite EASY recipe with you.

Here is my dietitian critique of the ingredient list. The dough is not whole grain and contains partially hydrogenated vegetable oil shortening. This means there is trans fat! A labeling law loophole allows them to put 0 grams trans fat per serving in the Nutrition Facts if it has less than 0.5 g per serving. Trans fat is bad stuff and I advise to avoid it. The dough and sauce also contain refined oils which are not the best fat choice. The sauce also contains high fructose corn syrup, another ingredient I recommend avoiding. The "cheese" has a good deal of sodium and some preservatives. So definitely not my first choice for homemade pizza.

Thankfully there is an easy alternative that only required a couple more steps. You have to measure out flour, yeast, oil and honey, but otherwise it's very similar.

When I am feeling ambitions I add frozen cauliflower puree to my jar of sauce to boost the nutrition and I freshly grate some low moisture mozzarella cheese. Other times I just add sauce straight from the jar and pre-shredded cheese. I've also been know to add slice cheese in a pinch.

I love my pizza stone and this small pastry roller. These are both from Pampered Chef I linked to similar versions Amazon 

My kids prefer plain cheese but the other half of this pizza has red onion and Alaskan Salmon from a can.

A Healthier Easy Homemade Pizza

This recipe is adapted from here.

• 2 1/2 tsp rapid rise yeast (1 packet)
• 1 cup warm water
• 2 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
• 2 tsp honey
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp olive oil (garlic infused olive oil is really good!)
• 2 Tbsp flaxseed, ground
• Sauce
• Cheese
• Vegetables, as desired
• Meat, as desired

1. Preheat over to 450 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, combine water and yeast and stir until yeast is dissolved.

3. Add in flour, honey, flaxseed, salt, an olive oil and use a wooden spoon to combine. Then use your hand to knead the dough for a few minutes.

4. Form dough into a ball, and let it rest for 10 minutes in a warm place (like on top of the preheating oven).

5. Roll the dough out and roll the edges of the dough.

6. Top your pizza as desired.

7. Bake for  10 - 12 minutes. 

8. Slice and enjoy!

Erin Marie

Amazon Affiliate Links were included in this post. Thanks for your support!