Greek Yogurt Pizza Dough

I’m popping in early this week to let you know about the pizza dough that has completely transformed a few of my recent meals. It’s not a new method, or a new recipe for that matter, but it wasn’t familiar to me when I came across it, and I’ve made three pizzas in four days just to prove to myself that it is in fact as good as I think it is.

It’s supposed to be a two ingredient pizza dough, but since I don’t keep self-rising flour on hand, it’s actually a four-ingredient recipe in my house. Since two of those are salt and baking powder, I think we can agree that this still qualifies as one of the most succinct recipes you’ll ever make. Are you ready? Here goes: to make a 12x14-inch pizza dough you’ll need: 2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder + ¾ teaspoons fine sea salt +1½ cups all-purpose flour + 1 cup Greek yogurt. That’s it.

Can you believe it? I doubt it because when I first read about it I couldn’t either. The fact that flour plus yogurt could equal pizza dough was hard for me to imagine, but it totally does. In fact, it makes a mighty fine pizza dough that doesn’t require any rising time and can be mixed, rolled and ready for toppings in the time it takes your oven to preheat. I bake mine at 500°F for 12 minutes, which results in a crisp bottom crust topped with golden melted mozzarella cheese.

I hope you give it a go. I’ve tried it with two different brands of Greek yogurt just to be sure it wasn’t beginners luck the first time I made it, and I can say for certain this pizza dough really does work. While I won’t let it always replace the yeasted variations we’ve come to love, I do think this version has a permanent place in my recipe repertoire for those nights and mornings when pizza is the answer to the last-minute question “what’s for dinner/lunch?” today.

Greek Yogurt Pizza Dough

• 2¼ teaspoons baking powder

• ¾ teaspoons fine sea salt

• 1½ cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting

• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt

1. Preheat oven to 500°F and oil a large rimmed baking sheet.

2. Place the baking powder and salt in a 1-cup dry measure. Add enough all-purpose flour to measure one cup, and dump into a medium mixing bowl. Add an additional 1/2 cup all-purpose flour and whisk well to combine.

3. Add Greek yogurt and mix together with a rubber spatula. Transfer the dough to a flour-dusted work surface, and knead the dough for 5 minutes, or until smooth to the touch. It shouldn't be sticky at all, so add more flour as needed.

4. Using a floured rolling pin, roll the dough into a 12x14-inch rectangle and transfer to the prepared baking sheet.

5. Cover pizza dough with desired toppings and bake for 12 minutes. Let cool for 1 minute before cutting.

Comments

[Mardi (eat. live. travel. write.)]

This looks so good! Jamie's "easy flatbreads" call for the same ingredients - we've never used them to make pizzas but need a quick base for an upcoming cooking club session so will totally use this! (PS: I've used 0% with great results for flatbread too!)

[Anne O.]

I just made this for lunch! It was delicious and oh, so quick! I made it with Costco's Kirkland brand, 0% fat, plain Greek yogurt! Thanks, Jan, this is definitely a keeper!

[Meaghan]

Sounds awesome and I can't wait to try it! I noticed you baked the pizza in a cast iron pan. Do you preheat the pan? Thanks!

[Jan Scott]

Hi Meaghan! Yes, sometimes I bake pizza in a cast-iron skillet and I definitely preheat in the oven while its warming. Then I brush a bit of oil over it, toss the dough in and bake the pizza. It just slides out afterwards and is more like a deep dish pizza than a regular flat one because of the high sides on the pan. 

[Susan]

This sounds like a great way to save time. Am wondering if I could use a whole wheat flour instead of the all purpose ?

[Jan Scott]

Hi Susan - Thats a great question. I honestly dont know because I havent tried it, but its on my list of things to test because Im really interested in knowing that for myself. If you give it a try before I do, let me know how it goes!

[Jan Scott]

SO glad to hear you liked it Anne!

[Sounds like Canada]

Find fresh produce and cooking supplies with www.CanadaPages.com

[Shelley]

I made this with regular 0% Astro brand yogurt and while I needed a bit more flour, it worked like a charm. I made it using the 4 ingredients as I did not have self-rising flour. We made one pizza and made half plain cheese and half a delux. We will be making this again, I see s brushing of olive oil and garlic then a sprinkling of coarse salt and fresh herbs fresh from the oven with a little parm...flatbread appies!

[Jan Scott]

Thats so great, Shelley! And I agree... there are so many possibilities for this dough. Heres a funny story for you... last weekend I made the dough for dinner and discovered the next day that I accidentally used VANILLA yogurt instead of plain. As it turns out, I bought the wrong kind altogether and didnt even notice until I went to make tzatziki and couldnt understand why it was so sweet! The pizza totally turned out okay though so the recipe is obviously very forgiving and works regardless of what kind of yogurt you us. 

[Trish Turner]

This is such a great idea! I had never thought to do my pizzas this way and I LOVE me a deep dish pizza!!