A California pizza cut into five slices

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I remember loving my mom’s homemade pizza. Now I’m happy to make it for my own family – and my son chomps it down happily. My mom always made a white cream sauce – that will be another post :).

Homemade pizza never gives me that “heavy” feeling like frozen or takeout does, even if I eat more than my fair share. Hope you and your family enjoy this California Pizza recipe. It’s a fun thing for kids and dads to do together – maybe for mothers day?…

Ingredients for California Pizza Dough:

3/4 cup warm water
1 Tbsp active dry yeast
1/2 Tbsp honey
1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
2 cups plus 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt

California Pizza Recipe

Ingredients for Toppings (what I used):

Red Pizza Sauce – our best homemade red sauce
2 cups (8-10 oz) shredded Mozzarella cheese
6 slices of deli ham, chopped or cut into strips
1 medium tomato, sliced
1 small red onion, finely sliced
6-7 mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup Black olives, sliced

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More topping ideas:

Fresh Basil Leaves, roughly torn prosciutto, pork or turkey sausages, pepperoni, red or yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded and julienned, or whatever else your heart desires. 

How to Make  Pizza Dough:

Making pizza dough in a bread-maker makes it sooo easy!

1. Add 3/4 cup water and 1 Tbsp of dry yeast in the bread maker and let it stand for a 3-5 minutes.

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2. Next, add 1/2 Tbsp of honey, 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil, 2 cups + 2 Tbsp of flour, 3/4 tsp of salt in the bread-maker in the order they are listed and select the dough setting.

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Mine takes about an hour. The dough will be sticky and it will be easy to work with once it’s oiled.

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NOTE:

Using a mixer or kneading by hand method: Put warm water in a large bowl, add the yeast and let stand for a few minutes. Add honey and olive oil. Add flour, then the salt and mix until well-combined (use a dough hook on speed 2 with a mixer). The dough should be sticky. Cover with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place until doubled in volume.

Prep the Sauce while the dough is rising: Our Easy Red Sauce takes a few minutes and is a no-cooking required sauce.

1. When the dough is ready, preheat the Oven to 415˚F. Drizzle another 2 Tbsp oil onto a large baking sheet. Transfer the dough onto the oiled baking sheet and turn it a couple times to make sure the dough is covered in oil.

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2. Roll the dough out in the cookie sheet. (I use my handy Chef Roller for this job. It saves a potentially messy step (transferring the dough after it’s rolled out) and you don’t have to clean your counter tops afterwards) and spread on the pizza sauce.

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3. Spread on the cheese, ham, tomatoes, mushrooms, olives and onions.

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4. Bake at 415˚F for 15-20 minutes or until the crust is crisp and toppings are cooked.

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Now, marvel at your masterpiece! Your family will be so impressed and it’s really easy.

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Natasha's Kitchen Cookbook

California Pizza Recipe

5 from 15 votes
Author: Natasha of NatashasKitchen.com
Prep Time: 2 hours
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients 

Servings: 1 XL Pizza

Ingredients for California Pizza Dough:

Ingredients for Toppings (what I used):

  • 1/2 cup pizza sauce
  • 2 cups 8-10 oz shredded Mozzarella cheese
  • 6 slices of deli ham, chopped or cut into strips
  • 1 medium tomato, sliced
  • 1 small red onion, finely sliced
  • 6-7 mushrooms, sliced
  • 1/4 cup Black olives, sliced

More topping ideas:

  • Fresh Basil Leaves, roughly torn prosciutto, pork or turkey sausages, pepperoni, red or yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded and julienned, or whatever else your heart desires.

Instructions

How to Make California Pizza Dough:

    Making pizza dough in a bread-maker makes it sooo easy!

    • Add 3/4 cup water and 1 Tbsp of dry yeast in the bread maker and let it stand for a 3-5 minutes.
    • Next, add 1/2 Tbsp of honey, 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil, 2 cups + 2 Tbsp of flour, 3/4 tsp of salt in the bread-maker in the order they are listed and select the dough setting.*
    • Mine takes about an hour. The dough will be sticky and it will be easy to work with once it's oiled.

    Make the easy pizza sauce.

      Once the dough is ready, preheat the Oven to 415˚F.

      • Drizzle another 2 Tbsp oil onto a large baking sheet. Transfer the dough onto the oiled baking sheet and turn it a couple times to make sure the dough is covered in oil.
      • Roll the dough out in the cookie sheet and spread on the pizza sauce.
      • Spread on the cheese, ham, tomatoes, mushrooms, olives and onions.
      • Bake at 415˚F for 15-20 minutes or until the crust is crisp and toppings are cooked.

      Now, marvel at your masterpiece! Your family will be so impressed and it's really easy.

        Notes

        *NOTE: Using a mixer or kneading by hand method: Put warm water in a large bowl, add the yeast and let stand for a few minutes. Add honey and olive oil. Add flour, then the salt and mix until well-combined (use a dough hook on speed 2 with a mixer). The dough should be sticky. Cover with plastic wrap and leave in a warm place until doubled in volume.
        Course: Lunch, Main Course
        Cuisine: American
        Keyword: California Pizza
        Skill Level: Easy
        Cost to Make: $$

        Final Final Picmonkey Hashtag bannerCalifornia Pizza Recipe-4

        Natasha Kravchuk

        Welcome to my kitchen! I am Natasha, the blogger behind Natasha's Kitchen (since 2009). My husband and I run this blog together and share only our best, family approved and tested recipes with YOU. Thanks for stopping by! We are so happy you're here.

        Read more posts by Natasha

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        Recipe Rating




        Comments

        • Alty
          August 29, 2023

          hello, Natasha,
          I’ve made the dough following your recipe, step by step with mixer, it came out tough and dry(( can you please confirm 3/4 of a cup of water is enough, cause it seemed not. or it is only for the bread machine only?

          Reply

          • NatashasKitchen.com
            August 29, 2023

            Hi Alty! That is correct. A tough and dry dough is often the result of using too much flour. Be sure to measure your flour correctly. I’ve attached my tutorial on how to measure ingredients. I hope that helps!

            Reply

        • Mark Kelleher
          October 7, 2022

          I’ve lost count of how many recipes of yours I’ve used, can’t wait to try this one. My dough is rising as we speak.

          Reply

          • Natashas Kitchen
            October 7, 2022

            That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Mark!

            Reply

        • Linda
          August 26, 2022

          I’ve made this recipe about five times now, totally love it. Tastes great and is easy to make. I just always have to cook it longer not sure why but not a problem. This is definitely a 5 star recipe.

          Reply

          • NatashasKitchen.com
            August 26, 2022

            Hi Linda! So glad you enjoy this recipe. Thank you for the wonderful feedback.

            Reply

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