Quick and Easy Pizza Crust Recipe

I often envy those "meal planner moms" who have the week's dinner all mapped out by Sunday. I've tried that route a few times and even made it my New Year's resolution last year, but for whatever reason, meal planning just never sticks. I'll admit: The times I did a meal plan - it was great! I shopped with a detailed, meals-for-the-week ingredient list and felt organized once dinner rolled around.

But unfortunately, meal planning only lasts a week or two in our house. All the other 50 weeks a year consist of last-minute dinner ideas inspired by whatever needs to be used in the garden, pantry or fridge. Luckily, I'm pretty creative in the culinary department and have a knack for whipping up some decent, healthy meals - Chopped Kitchen style. (You see what I did there - I knocked myself down and then boosted my ego right back up! I may be a shitty meal planner, but I can make a four-course meal out of some ketchup, a bag of flour and a jar of olives! ;))

When we're short on groceries, homemade pizza is usually my go-to! If we have some sourdough starter that needs to be used, I make a sourdough pizza crust. If I have time,  soaked quinoa pizza crust is out of this world! But if I have neither, I whip up this quick and easy pizza crust recipe in minutes!

As far as toppings go, anything is fair game in our house - we've concocted some pretty wild and creative pizzas, that's for sure! No tomato sauce? Try blending up a quick pesto or. Just use olive oil and garlic.No cheese? No worries! Believe it or not, pizza is still delicious without cheese. Instead, try sprinkling it with some nutritional yeast or topping it with a handful of fresh arugula.

If you'd like a more traditional crust, then go ahead and use wheat flour (preferably organic.) I use wheat flour as half all-purpose and half whole wheat. It turns out fluffy, soft and chewy, just like an excellent glutinous pizza crust should.

If you're looking for a more nutritious option or perhaps suffer from gluten sensitivities, then I recommend trying sprouted spelt flour or einkorn flour! Both are ancient grains and the most genetically primitive and ancient forms of wheat. Along with their excellent mild, nutty taste, they are much easier to digest than modern forms of wheat. My favourite brand of ancient grains, like Einkorn and spelt, is Anita's Organic Mill, based in Chilliwack, British Columbia.

If you decide to try these ancient grain flours, simply substitute 1:1 in any recipe that calls for flour!

Quick and Easy Pizza Crust Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups Warm Water

• 2 tsp Active Dry Yeast

• 1 tsp Sugar, Raw/Organic (or Pure Maple Syrup or Honey)

• 3 cups Flour (half All-Purpose, half Whole Wheat)

• 1 tsp Salt

• 1 tbsp Olive Oil (plus more for greasing the bowl and brushing the crust (optional))

Instructions

1. Combine water, yeast and sugar in a bowl and stir. Set aside for 5-10 minutes until the yeast becomes frothy.

2. In a separate bowl, combine flour and salt.

3. Pour the water mixture AND oil into the flour mixture.

4. Stir with a wooden spoon until a ball begins to form, then dump onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic - about 5-8 minutes. Add more flour, 1 tbsp at a time, if necessary.

5. Grease a bowl with a teaspoon of oil and place dough inside. Cover with a damp kitchen towel or cloth and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until it's doubled in size - about 1 hour. (OR, refrigerate the unrisened dough and let it rise for 24 hours; OR freeze it in a plastic bag for up to 1 month; let it thaw and rise in the refrigerator overnight.)

6. Roll dough into the desired shape and add your favourite toppings (or whatever you have on hand!)!

7. *For best results, lightly brush dough with olive oil and pre-cook it in a preheated oven at 425 degrees for 5-7 minutes before adding toppings.