Love pizza made fresh at home but never have the time? Try this 15 Minute Beer Pizza Dough...and have a homemade pizza out of the oven faster than a delivery!
I've been on a mission of sorts the past week; determined to create a recipe to make homemade pizza making easier. Real homemade. I've used naan in a pinch but my favorite dough was always one I could find at Sprouts grocery. It was made by an Italian bakery and in the freezer section. A day spent defrosting in the fridge and it was ready for toppings and in the oven by dinner time.
A recent trip to the market and it's gone. GONE! As in they won't be carrying it anymore. Always seems the case; I find something I think indispensable and it disappears; don't tell me your favorites in the event it's catching.
I located a local pizza shop that would sell me dough but it wasn't frozen so I would have to get there at opening and hurry home to freeze it before it started to rise; seemed antithetical to my plan of ease though. So...nothing else to do but make my own. It's not like I've never made pizza dough but I don't relish the time it takes to mix, proof, and proof some more. I'll do that for a great bread but not for pizza dough.
Hmm, bread...that got me thinking. I have been making this Coors Beer Bread that we love since arriving in Denver; using beer as the yeast ingredient meant no rising time or waiting required. You simply mix the ingredients and put it in the oven; so tasty too. Why couldn't I do that with pizza dough?
Well, by George, I think I've done it! There have been numerous trials too, such a tough job having to test pizza after pizza. I even had to call my neighbors Sam and Sherry and their girls into action...but they're used to it. My army of eaters! I've got another recipe for plain dough I might post soon that's even quicker than this dough and is minus the beer but this was the best.
Not just the beer part either, which does affect taste but is most important as the leavening agent. I've added garlic powder, olive oil, and honey to the basics of flour, beer, sugar and salt. A bit of olive oil and balsamic vinegar brushed on the dough was in keeping with the flavor profile I was after.
I don't know about you but I like a crust with real flavor, not just a cardboard placeholder for the good stuff. This fit the bill perfectly. Even that edge was so good the dog missed out; sorry Spot, next time buddy.
So my testing was twofold; first to see if I could accomplish a good flavor and rise with my ingredients in a short period of time but also to see if I could realize the same results after freezing the dough. The good news is yes, and yes.
My taste testers loved it and even though I might have had my fill of pizza, I made another one yesterday with the frozen dough. It was perfect. I let mine sit on the counter for a couple of hours to thaw and then put it in an 85 degree oven for 10 minutes and it proofed up beautifully.
For this pizza, after the olive oil and balsamic vinegar on the crust, I followed up with tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, basil chiffonade and pillows of cream cheese. Once it had baked I tossed on some fresh basil and toasted pine nuts. Eye rolling good I promise.
I'll do a separate post soon with particulars and also one for the Spinach, Mushroom and Artichoke version we loved. Clearly it's evident why I don't order pizza delivery isn't it? Ever since making the trek to Bonnie Brae Tavern years ago with my girls and we ordered their White Pizza, I've never looked back. I'm just not into the pizza staples of pizza sauce, pepperoni, or sausage and prefer mixing it up with ingredients I love.
A recipe for ingredients isn't required so much as simply using ingredients on hand and your imagination. Check out the last one below where I had to stretch that notion to its limits and the results were fantastic.
I know a lot of people swear by a pizza stone too but I personally find them a royal pain. Heating them in the oven to get blistering hot and then moving a pizza onto one of them? Maybe in a pizza oven but not my oven; I have a regular size range but with two ovens; I got over trying to do that job in the larger of the two that's at the bottom. So I punted...I make mine in cast iron skillets. I LOVE the crispiness of the crust.
Since I was making two the second was baked in this white Le Creuset knockoff from Amazon. Both gave us the same crispy crust. When it came time to serve dinner, I slid the pizzas out of the skillet, sliced them and then put the slices back in. Nice bonus is the skillets keep the slices warm for a bit.
This is my 'Hodge Podge Pizza' I mentioned above. My friends think I'm the mad scientist sometimes because I'll open the fridge and start throwing stuff together and yes, this was the most unique of the batch and equally good. I had some leftover lobster bisque (from Walmart in the deli case), fresh asparagus (use just the tips; the stalks are great in soup, like this Cream of Asparagus Soup with Garlic and Parmesan), a couple of strips of bacon and just enough mushrooms to matter.
I know I have friends waiting for me to get this post published...only wish you were closer. I have so much pizza on hand I could start a 'pizza by the slice' business! But you're not, so you have to make it yourself; hope you enjoy it as much as we did!
PIN '15 Minute Beer Pizza Dough'
