Pizza-friendly dog? Duh, pretty sure every single one of them are. But what about dog-friendly pizza? Can we make it safe and easily digestible for our dogs to eat? The answer is yes, and the whole process isn’t even as long and tedious as you’d first think. Check out our simple homemade pizza recipe, also in a dog-friendly version!
We make homemade pizza at least once a month, as not only is it one of the best foods in the world – thank you, Italy! -, but it’s also relatively easy to make. You can make a bigger batch of dough to freeze or refrigerate, too, so you can plan several meals ahead. Once you’ve got the dough, you can make pizza, focaccia, and even calzone just to ensure it never gets dull.
But how about a dog-friendly homemade pizza version? Well, thanks to the very simple base recipe, it’s just as easy to make, with a few modifications included.
Easy homemade pizza recipe: Human version
| Whole batch without toppings | 1 whole pizza without toppings | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 2272 kcal | 568 kcal |
| Fat | 47 g | 12 g |
| Carbohydrates | 396 g | 99 g |
| Protein | 61 g | 15 g |
Ingredients (enough for four 8 inch/25 cm pizzas)
- 4 cups or 500 g flour
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 2 rounded tbsp or 10g dried yeast
- 1 ¼ cups or 300 ml warm water
- First mix the sugar in the warm water, then add yeast to bloom. It’s ready when a solid layer of foam forms on top of the compound.
2. While waiting for the yeast, mix the dry ingredients. Flour and salt can all go into a bowl, then you can add olive oil and your water-mixed yeast. Work it all together, I like to use a spatula first when it’s still sticky and gooey. Once it firms up a little, you can start kneading and keep going for a good 5 minutes.
3. When done, the dough should not stick to the bowl anymore, and it should also be soft enough to easily press without much resistance. At this point, cover it with either a lid or a foil and put it in the oven at 122 °F / 50 °C for a minimum of 30 minutes to rise. Once passed, knead it over and repeat the rising process in the oven for another 30 minutes. If you’re in a rush, you can skip the repeat, but your dough will not be as soft and airy as we’d like it to be.
4. Once the dough rose enough, knead it lightly one more time, then divide the mass into 4 equal sized balls. Put one of them down on a flat, flour-covered surface and start pressing the sides down while rotating the piece of dough, thus forming a circular shape. I like to leave the edges a little thicker.
5. Next up you can drizzle some olive oil and spread it out on top, then add whatever sauce and toppings you prefer. Here are some ideas:
I. Classic tomato sauce – 3 tbsp tomato purée, 1 tsp red pesto (optional), pinch of salt, ground pepper, freshly chopped or dry basil and oregano
II. Garlic-sour cream – 3 tbsp sour cream, pinch of salt, ground pepper, fresh finely chopped garlic or granulated garlic powder
6. Once you’ve assembled your pizza, bake it in your oven at 410 °F/ 210 °F for a good 10-15 minutes.
Doggy-friendly version
| 1 pizza without toppings | |
|---|---|
| Calories | 131 kcal |
| Fat | 5 g |
| Carbohydrates | 19 g |
| Protein | 4 g |
Ingredients (enough for one ~6 inch/15cm pizza)
- 3 tbsp whole wheat flour
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 0.5 tsp or 2g dried yeast
- enough warm water to make for a non-sticky, but still light and airy dough
- tiny pinch of salt and sugar
PRO TIP: if you’re making a dog-friendly pizza version simultaneously with your own, I recommend mixing 11.2 oz or 330ml warm water with the yeast, so you’ll have enough to make both without having to mix the water-yeast compound separately.
Preparation steps are the same as above, also let the dough rise before making it into a pizza shape.
Toppings you can safely use for your dog’s pizza: pre-cooked or boiled meat (e.g. chicken, turkey, rabbit, beef, even pork), tuna, salmon, veggies like peas, spinach, potatoes, carrots, zucchini, red bell peppers, you can also put cheese on top, if it doesn’t bloat your pup. Avoid using: tomatoes (applies to tomato sauce, too), beans, corns (as they are hard to digest).
You can also bake this at the same high temperature as your own pizzas , just make sure to check frequently as it’ll bake faster than its larger equivalent. 🙂
We hope that everyone will enjoy this incredibly easy and delicious pizza recipe, don’t forget to send us your feedbacks!
xoxo, Team Pockets
