Clicky

Pizza Success:
The Second Time Around!

Susan Gast, founder of Easy Food Dehydrating

by: Susan Gast / Author, Blogger at Beesville Books, Bored Boomers, and a Food Dehydrating Fanatic!

Here's how to make this tasty pizza using this Super Easy Bread recipe for the crust.

Pizza ready to bake - no parchment paper is needed after pre-baking

After the shameful mess of having to painfully scrape my very first homemade pizza pie off the paddle, I almost gave up.

But the tantalizing tastes that I enjoyed pushed me to create this page - a testament to overcoming kitchen failures and persevering until I perfect this pie.

My dough may have stuck, but I'm not letting one frustrating flop stop me from baking pizzeria-quality pies at home.


A person with dehydrator, fresh food

I felt I had to make another one (such hardship thereā€”not!)

This time I followed Anita's instructions! (Learn more about Anita and James' new hobby at the bottom of this post).

I used parchment paper and precooked the pizza crust for a few minutes first ON the paper ON the stone in the oven!

Pizza ready to bake - no parchment paper is needed after pre-baking

Put Parchment Paper on Top of the Spatula

I put the parchment paper on the spatula, cut it down to size, and left about a one-inch overlap of paper all around. I placed the crust on it and shaped it so it wasn't hanging off the spatula/paddle!

I pricked the dough to stop bubbles from forming. I then put it in the oven and baked it for 3 minutes.

There's the dough, in the photo above, ready for the oven, sat on the parchment paper. The recipe for this easy-to-make dough is here.

After the pre-bake in the oven, I added my sauce, the cheese, and sautƩed onions along with green, red, and yellow peppers, olives, and mushrooms.

This Huge Slice of Anita's Pizza was My Lunch!

A slice of homemade pizza on a plateIs it me? Or do you see two olive eyes with a green tongue sticking out?

Here's a TIP. Pre-bake it for five minutes as my cheese ended up getting a little too brown for my liking because I was waiting for the crust to turn just the right shade of 'done'.

Into the oven it went for about 15 minutesā€”but see the TIP above about baking the crust first for probably five minutes.

I forgot to mention earlierā€”I've been using the oven at 450Ā°F instead of 475Ā°F. No real reason. To be honest, I was scared of burning the crust and having my toppings not get hot enough. Use our Fahrenheit to Celsius converter here on our site!

It was just a case of turning down the heat to avoid scorching the crust - and baking it a little longer.

What's Your Favorite Pizza Pie Recipe?

Are you dying to show us your dehydrated culinary creation? Share it! Your recipe will have its very own web page -- on this website -- auto-magically!

Don't be shy! Send in your favorite pizza pie recipe using the easy form above. If you've got photos, that would be awesome if you'd share those too!

Tell us why your pie is so good, how you made the crust, and what special tips and tricks you have for a perfect pizza crust.

Suggested Toppings for a Perfect Pizza Pie

Here's a quick list of perfect pizza toppings made from dehydrated veggies. Rehydrate them first so they don't soak up the tomato sauce as they rehydrate!

  • Sun-dried tomatoes - Slice up some sun-dried tomatoes that have been rehydrated in water or oil for a few hours. They add a sweet, intense tomato flavor.
  • Mushrooms - Use rehydrated dried mushrooms like shiitake, porcini, or morels for an earthy, umami boost. Or rehydrate and slice cremini or button mushrooms.
  • Caramelized onions - Cook down some rehydrated dehydrated onion slices for a sweet, jammy onion pizza topper.
  • Peppers - Red bell peppers or spicy chile peppers that are dehydrated simply need to be rehydrated and sliced.
  • Artichokes - Marinated and rehydrated artichoke hearts provide a soft texture.
  • Olives - Slice or whole rehydrated black or green olives make a briny, salty addition.
  • Spinach - Rehydrated dried spinach leaves; squeeze out excess moisture and scatter on top.
  • Bacon - Crumble up some crispy dehydrated bacon (or just plain cooked bacon) for bacony bites.
  • Sausage crumbles - Sprinkling on bits of rehydrated pre-cooked sausage brings tons of flavor.

I hope these toppings provide pizza inspiration. Make good use of your dehydrated ingredients! Let me know your favorites by using the form coming up!

Different Kinds of Cheeses for Pizza

Here are some of the best types of cheese to use on pizza:

  • Mozzarella - The classic pizza cheese. Fresh mozzarella adds delicious stretchiness and flavor. Part-skim or whole-milk mozzarella are also excellent choices.
  • Provolone - A good melting cheese like provolone adds a sharp, tangy flavor. Provolone piccante is an aged variety with more bite.
  • Parmesan - Freshly grated parmesan adds a salty, nutty punch and crunch. Just sprinkle on top.
  • Fontina - This semi-soft Italian cheese becomes beautifully gooey when melted. It has a rich, earthy flavor.
  • Gorgonzola - The bold blue veining in this cheese makes a nice flavor contrast. Pairs well with sweet toppings!
  • Feta - Salty, crumbly feta cheese adds a tangy kick. Use it sprinkled lightly on top.
  • Ricotta - For white pizza, part-skim ricotta adds a creamy texture and mild flavor.
  • Cheddar - Sharp cheddar offers a familiar flavor.
  • Blends - Combinations like an Italian cheese blend can provide multiple flavors in one.

The possibilities are endless for creative, delicious pizza cheeses! Just be sure to use quality, whole milk varieties for the best melt-ability and taste.

Other Home-Made Goodies by Anita and James!

Wooden cabinet with stained glass by James

I just wanted to add this! Anita and James live in Bonnie Scotland.

They also turned their hands to making lots of home-made goodies like coat hangers, and storage cabinetsā€”some with stained-glass insertsā€”and they're beautiful!

All of their pieces are made with such loving care, it's a wonder they can bear to part with them.

Recently, Anita told me that James has changed course, and now modifies campers!

PS - The adjective "Bonnie" means beautiful or attractive in Scots language and has been used to refer to Scotland for centuries now.

Don't forget to get your free "Six Simple Steps" eBook where I share how to dehydrate food safely!

šŸ„¦ Dehydrating

Easy Food Dehydrating & Safe Food Storage book coverREAD MORE

šŸ² Recipes

20 Taste-Tested Easy Recipes book coverREAD MORE

ā‰ļø FAQs

How to Dehydrate Food - Top 20 Topics, 225 Questions AnsweredREAD MORE

šŸ¦“ Doggie Dinners!

Make Your Own Dog Food book coverREAD MORE

Before You Go...

If you like the content, please give me some love by clicking on the šŸ©· in the lower right hand corner (on just about all my pages). This signals to me that you find it enjoyable and useful. Thank you so much!