This pizza has got to be the world’s easiest, and it’s also relatively light and tastes incredible. Plus, of course it’s fun for the kids to make their own. Like I’ve said before, it’s amazing what kids will put in their mouths if they’ve had a hand in creating it.
The secret of these pizzas is what I have to admit was a brilliant idea on my part — one that was borne, like most good food-related ideas, out of hunger. A couple years ago, I was craving pizza and didn’t have the time or wherewithal to make dough and didn’t feel like making a trip to the store. I remembered seeing some pre-made flatbreads at Whole Foods and was wishing I had bought them when my eyes landed on a package of whole wheat flour tortillas, which we always have in the fridge. I thought they might make decent — although excessively low-carb — mini pizza crusts in a pinch.
I made the pizzas the same way you usually would, and they turned out fantastic. No really, fantastic. So fantastic that this has become our family’s favorite type of pizza. The crust is chewy and delicious and really pretty perfect. It’s obviously very thin, so you can’t load it up with gobs of toppings, but I’ve always been kind if a minimalist when it comes to pizza anyway.
This works best with a pizza stone. If you don’t have one, I highly recommend getting one. I got mine as a wedding gift, and it’s been hanging out in my oven ever since. You can bake just about anything on a pizza stone; they’re also great for toast.
Tortilla Crust Pizzas
Preheat your oven with a pizza stone on the rack to 425 degrees.
Ingredients:
- One package whole wheat tortillas: I use Whole Foods 365 brand organic.
- Pizza sauce: This can be jarred marinara, such as Muir Glen, homemade tomato sauce, or a mixture of olive oil and garlic.
- Grated cheese: I used a combination of cheddar, mozzarella, and parmesan just because that’s what I had.
- Pizza toppings: Obviously these can include whatever you’re craving, your kids like, or is in your fridge and needs to be eaten. Because I was having the kids make their own and they have very different likes when it comes to food, I set out an array of things, including sliced olives, green bell peppers, onions, sliced mushrooms, sliced chicken breasts (leftovers), and one turkey breakfast sausage cut into nuggets. We also had a couple slices of prosciutto and some basil leaves. You could seriously use just about anything — roasted eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini, carmelized onions, shrimp, goat cheese.
Spread the tortillas with sauce or oil mixture. Sprinkle with grated cheese (my daughter is mildly lactose intolerant so she uses hardly any and it’s still really good). Cover with desired toppings, keeping the tortilla’s thinness in mind. Sprinkle with a bit more cheese. Bake on the hot pizza stone until cheese is bubbly and slightly browned and crust is toasty on the edge, about 4-5 minutes. Allow to cool a bit, then cut with kitchen shears.
One tortilla pizza will feed one medium-sized adult. My husband usually wants a bit more, but that’s okay because the kids don’t finish theirs.
Hi Bevin! I haven’t used tortillas yet, but will try it. My kids really enjoy making the dough, and the following recipe doesn’t require must rising time, which is key, as you know. I usually substitute in the unbleached flour, or wheat flour, depending on what we have around. I’ve added honey before, and they seem to like that too.
Quick Pizza Dough
Yields: One 14 inch pizza or six mini pizzas
Ingredients:
1 package of active dry yeast
1 cup of warm water
1.5 tsp granulated sugar
1 tsp salt
2 T olive oil
2.5 cup unbleached all purpose or whole wheat flour
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Combine the yeast and warm water with a wire whisk, and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine the sugar, salt, olive oil and flour with the yeast mixture for about 1 minute or until combined. Set aside to rest for 5 minutes.
Turn the dough onto a floured board and knead about 15 times. Throw it in the air to get the kids really excited. Cut into desired portions.
Place dough on a nonstick baking pan (I use parchment paper). Top as desired and bake for about 20 miniutes or until the crust is golden and the topping is warmed through. (I’ve found with the pizza stone in there and warmed up, 14 minutes does the trick)
My kids love to make dough, too, so thanks for the easy recipe!
Terrific post Bevin. You know another “benefit” (that I have heard) of a pizza stone is that it helps hold the correct temperature of your oven for baking other items.
I love homemade pizza and befriended a local joint. It took some time but the owner agreed to sell me his pizza dough. So, for just a few bucks I can drop by and pick up a fresh made dough and create a fun dinner at home. Or, a fun pizza for breakfast.
Happy pizza making.
Kent
Mmmm, tell me more about this breakfast pizza!
Love it! We had whole wheat tortilla, cheese, and avocado quesadillas last night, another good use of the tortillas. For pizza, I’ve been buying the multi-grain, pre-measured dough from Whole Foods (and plan to start making my own). I throw a few in the freezer, and all they need is a day in the fridge to be ready to go! As a matter of fact, home-made (grilled) pizza is on the menu tonight!
Did I mention this is REALLY easy? No defrosting, rolling, or prep at ALL. It’s great for times when you really want to eat now, not later. Plus, they are very tasty!