Cheats Pizza

My Cheat's Pizza Adventure: A Busy Mom's Guide to Weeknight Wonders

Let's be honest, folks. Between school runs, work deadlines, and the ever-present mountain of laundry, finding time to whip up a gourmet pizza from scratch feels like a distant dream. But pizza night? That's a non-negotiable in our household. So, I've developed a little cheat's method that still delivers incredible flavour without the hours-long commitment.

This recipe is my saving grace on those chaotic weeknights. It's quick, easy, and most importantly, it satisfies that pizza craving without compromising on taste. The crust isn't going to win any awards for elasticity (let's be real, it's a *cheat's* pizza!), but it's incredibly crispy and delivers that perfect textural contrast to the gooey cheese and flavorful toppings. I’ve experimented with different toppings and variations, and each time it turns out delicious. This recipe, I've found works perfectly with whatever ingredients I have on hand. Feel free to get creative and experiment with your favorite combinations!

One of the best parts is the versatility. It's a blank canvas for culinary creativity. One night, it's a classic Margherita; the next, it's loaded with veggies. Sometimes I’ll even throw on some leftover grilled chicken or sausage for a heartier meal. The beauty of this recipe lies in its simplicity and adaptability. It's a recipe that grows with you and evolves with your culinary preferences, making it a true staple in my busy kitchen.

The key to this recipe's success is the balance between speed and flavor. The simple dough comes together in minutes, and the cooking method—a combination of frying and broiling—yields a perfectly crispy crust every single time. I've learned through trial and error that using fresh mozzarella is absolutely essential. It elevates the whole pizza to a completely different level of deliciousness. The creamy, fresh mozzarella melts beautifully and complements the other ingredients perfectly. I prefer to tear it into chunks instead of using pre-shredded cheese, as I find it melts more evenly and maintains its texture a little better.

I've even gotten my kids involved in the process! They love helping to chop vegetables and choose their favorite toppings, making it a fun family activity. It's a way to connect over food, and create lasting memories in the kitchen. While pizza night used to be a stressful event involving hours of prep and cleanup, now it's a happy gathering. It's simple to make, quick to cook, and delivers that perfect combination of speed and satisfaction that is crucial when you're short on time but not on flavour.

Don't let the word "cheat" fool you – this pizza is seriously delicious. It's the perfect solution for busy weeknights when you crave the comfort and satisfaction of a homemade pizza without the long preparation time. So, the next time pizza night rolls around, try this recipe. You won't regret it!

Step-by-step

• Prepare Your Sauce
• Empty Chopped Tomatoes into a blender. Use one with a flavour if you like (garlic or chilli) but choose what you like. Roughly chop 1-2 cloves of garlic. Deseed a fresh chilli and roughly chop. Throw the garlic, chilli and basil into the blender with the canned tomatoes; add a swig of balsamic for taste, plus a drizzle of olive oil.
• Make Your Dough
• This is the easiest dough I've ever made! Measure 1 cup of self-rising flour (MUST BE SELF-RISING, NO SUBSTITUTES) into your food processor. Add 1/2 cup of water, a drizzle of olive oil, and a pinch of salt. Pulse. The goal is to work toward a firmer, processor-formed ball. Do this by slowly adding more flour—I added as much as an additional 1/3 to 1/2 cup. In the end you want your dough to be somewhat wet and elastic, but not so wet that it's impossible to work it with a rolling pin. Once you have a satisfactory ball of dough, cover a dry surface with a layer of flour. Remove the dough from the processor and add remnants to your solid "baseball"; coat lightly with flour and roll into a flat, round piece with a rolling pin about 1 cm thick. Once you have a good thickness and large enough piece to fill an approximately 14-inch cast iron pan (or two smaller pans), fold your dough in half or quarters to easily transport to the WELL OILED (olive oil) pan. Unfold and spread/smooth slightly with your fingers if necessary.
• Prepare Your Toppings
• Before you start cooking your dough, you should have your sauce, cheese and toppings on hand. Have all your toppings chopped—I prepped bell peppers, zucchini, basil and thinly sliced dried salami. Use fresh mozzarella! It tastes better than the shredded stuff. Tear it into chunks beforehand.
• "Fry"/Broil Your Dough
• Now for the fun part! Turn the heat on high, and let your dough get crispy. Stand by with a spatula and lift the edges to make sure the bottom isn't burning (this is why coating the pan with olive oil is so important—you don't want the dough to stick to the bottom). You want it to get it crispy, but not charred. Let it go for 3 to 4 minutes, and once it's almost finished, spoon sauce in the center and spread. Remove from the heat entirely, and top with cheese and toppings. Now that your pizza is ready, place it under the broiler for another 4 minutes or so. Leave the oven light on and watch it. Remove when it looks good to you.
• Tips
• Hold off on the basil until the last second when you're about to remove the pizza from the broiler—that way the leaves will be warm and slightly cooked without being charred. Jamie added fennel seeds and freshly grated Parmesan to the top as well—I'm going to try next time, sounds delicious!
• Eat!
• Enjoy. :)