Sausage and Potato Pizza
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“Did you make the crust yourself?” my husband asks me after he’s had a slice of this sausage and potato pizza. While normally I would have to admit otherwise, I smiled and nodded that yes, in fact, I did make this myself. Aren’t you proud? “It’s a really, really good pizza,” he says and proceeds to say something along those lines another two times (as he goes back to the kitchen for more) throughout the course of the evening.
I know that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach and all that jazz, but when it comes to my work creating recipes in my kitchen, my husband is very honest with me. He knows that I only want to bring recipes to my site that WORK and work well, so he will tell me his opinions on flavor and texture. It’s this feedback that I appreciate so much, especially when it’s of the overwhelmingly positive variety because who doesn’t love patting themselves on the back a little, right?
If anyone is looking for inspo when it comes to easy meals for weeknights or date nights or kids’ sleepovers or girls’ night at home or couples game night or just “I feel like eating pizza” night (confession: this is an incredibly frequent occurrence), then this recipe has you covered, and I’ll tell you why.
Quite simply, it’s because nobody — and I repeat, nobody — wants to be in the kitchen preparing a meal when they could be relaxing and having some fun with friends or family. Except for those special occasions, you want something that’s done fast, is easy, and that has a flavor that wows. And if you think homemade pizza, including the dough, is beyond your abilities, think twice!
How to make homemade pizza dough
First, it all starts with a good yeast. I used Fleischmann’s® RapidRise® Yeast because unless you’re a seasoned baker, there is no need to use the active yeast option, ya know? Fleischmann’s® RapidRise® Yeast only has a rise time of 10 minutes after you’ve spent four minutes kneading (which is part of the fun!) and one minute stirring. Then you bake for 12-15 minutes. I mean…30 minutes for a homemade pizza crust sounds insane and it is. Insanely GOOD.
This is also mostly because Fleischmann’s® has 150 years in this business, producing quality yeast recipes that you’re proud to serve from your kitchen. I don’t know about you, but offering food and baked goods is one of the main ways I express that I care.
You will 100% notice the difference in taste and texture when baking with yeast, so I definitely encourage you to give it a try. Max loved getting his hands in there and helping me knead the dough, too! Getting kids involved in meal prep is my number one advice to parents who are trying to get their children to eat their food or expand their palate.
Now, before you get started, there are a couple of pointers you should take in.
How to make sure your yeast rises
- Make sure your yeast isn’t expired. This is the number one reason that yeast doesn’t rise.
- Another reason yeast doesn’t rise is because you’ve killed off the yeast by using water that is way too hot. You’ll want to add water heated to 120˚F-130˚F and always use a thermometer to check the temperature. If you don’t have a thermometer, just know that the water should be lukewarm, not hot.
Trust me when I say that just like homemade meals are infinitely better, so too is homemade pizza dough. Experience the difference, further your passion for homemade baked goods, and never look back.
Sausage and Potato Pizza recipe
Obviously, you can top your pizza with whatever you’d like, but sausage and potatoes just go really well together. You can even add some massaged kale either toward the end of the baking process or fresh right on top of the finished pie. View the images below for my (semi) step-by-step assembly process.
See how simple? What are you waiting for? Get started with homemade pizza dough ASAP!
Sausage and Potato Pizza
Classic flavor combos inspire with this pizza made with a homemade crust!
Ingredients
Crust
- 1-3/4 to 2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 envelope Fleischmann's® RapidRise® Yeast
- 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
- 2/3 cup very warm water (120 degrees to 130 degrees Fahrenheit
- 3 tablespoons oil
Toppings
- 1/2 tablespoon oil
- 1 teaspoon fresh parsley, plus more for garnish
- 1 teaspoon fresh basil, plus more for garnish
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- Pinch each of salt and pepper
- 3/4 pound mild Italian chicken sausage, casing removed
- 5 Yukon Gold potatoes, sliced into 1/2 inch rounds
- 6 ounces shredded Mozzarella cheese
- 8 ounces Mozzarella cheese ball, pulled apart
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Place sliced rounds of potato in a bowl and toss with 1/2 tablespoon oil and a pinch each of salt, pepper, and paprika. Space evenly apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.
3. To make the pizza dough, combine 1 cup flour, undissolved yeast, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add very warm water and oil; mix until well blended, about 1 minute. Gradually add enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Dough should form a ball and will be slightly sticky. Knead** on a floured surface, adding additional flour if necessary, until smooth and elastic, about 4 minutes. Let dough rest at this point for 10 minutes.
4. While dough is resting, cook chicken sausage by crumbling up in a pan over medium-high heat, breaking into small pieces with a wooden spoon. Once cooked, remove from heat and set aside.
5. After dough is done resting, pat it with floured hands to fill greased pizza pan or baking sheet. OR roll dough on a floured counter to 12-inch circle; place in greased pizza pan or baking sheet. Form a rim by pinching the edge of the dough.
6. Brush with olive oil and herbs. Top with shredded Mozzarella cheese, followed by chicken sausage and potatoes, then top with additional shredded cheese, plus the mozzarella ball pulled apart and placed randomly on top.
7. Bake on lowest oven rack for 12 to 15 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and crust is browned.
Notes
*If you don't have a thermometer, water should feel very warm to the touch.
**To knead the dough, add just enough flour to the dough and your hands to keep the dough from sticking. Flatten dough and fold it toward you. Using the heels of your hands, push the dough away with a rolling motion. Rotate dough a quarter turn and repeat the "fold, push and turn" steps. Keep kneading dough until it is smooth and elastic. Use a little more flour if dough becomes too sticky, always working the flour into the ball of dough.
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