Prepping for Pizza!

Homesteading & Country Living Forum

Help Support Homesteading & Country Living Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Weedygarden

Awesome Friend
Neighbor
HCL Supporter
Joined
Dec 3, 2017
Messages
19,386
I have been chattering about pizza topics here and there and have wanted a thread about adding preps that could be used to make pizza in a SHTF situation. What would it take? Could you prep for pizza meals in the future in a SHTF situation?

There is a food storage planning strategy that has been around for a while. It involves planning meals for two weeks--breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and figuring out the needed ingredients for each menu item. Then you can tally what it takes to prepare for that meal for you and your family. If we could develop a plan for prepping for pizza, maybe we could apply the same strategy for other meals in the future.

I think of the video we recently saw of the man whose preps failed him. If he had prepared for pizza and things that his family liked to eat, he might have had more success with his preps.

What would we need?
1. A way to cook pizza--pizza oven with a paddle for putting in and retrieving pizza, cast iron pizza pan or two part pan and lid, pizza stone for an oven or fire. A Dutch oven could work as well.

2. Crust--typical yeast recipes, keto or low-carb recipes, or gluten free recipes. Pre-made shelf stable crusts? Anyone have a pizza dough recipe that they like?

3. Sauce--pre-made, canned sauce, or ingredients to make the sauce. Who makes pizza sauce? I have in the past, but haven't made any in decades. I think I got rid of the cookbook with my pizza recipes.

4. Cheese--dehydrated or freeze dried? Canned? Made from powdered milk? When I first ate pizza, it was made with parmesan cheese, not mozzarella. I like having some of each on my pizzas. There are recipes for making cheese from powdered milk. Has anyone ever made mozzarella or parmesan cheese from scratch?

5. Toppings--pepperoni? Sausage? Dehydrated or freeze dried veggies or other toppings? Garden fresh veggies? Toppings of your choice?
 
Last edited:
My pizza dough recipe:
2 cups hot water, 1/2 cup butter (can use ghee), 1/3 cup sugar, 2 tsp salt, 1/2 cup cold water, 8 Tablespoons of yeast, 6 1/2 cups of flour (I use half white, half wheat), 2 eggs, 1/4 cup olive oil.
Melt butter in hot water, add sugar and salt and stir. Add cold water, then yeast. Let it sit 10 minutes. Add 3 cups of flour and mix. Add eggs and the rest of the flour and olive oil. Mix. Let rise. Punch down, rise again. I freeze half the dough when I make it. I keep all of those ingredients in my food storage.
To make outside in a dutch oven...get your briquettes hot, or your wood started. Grease the bottom of the dutch oven. Spread the dough out on the bottom. Add toppings. Lid on, briquettes on top if using them, and on bottom. 6/6 is good. About 20 minutes. Can cook it on an inverted dutch oven lid, too, open baking, but it's a little tricky taking it off the heat.
Toppings from storage I could use (first I would raid my garden for fresh veg): Tomato powder..add water and Italian seasoning for sauce. I would prefer to make my cheese from powdered or shelf life milk, but would use freeze dried as a second choice. I also have plenty of parmesan stored. Sliced olives, rehydrated some jerky and cut it small for meat, have pepperoni in storage (lasts a year), have dehydrated mushrooms and bell pepper strips I would rehydrate, also dehydrated onion. I like sausage on my pizza, and have a bunch in the freezer - which I would use if it were still there. Husband likes pineapple on his, and I do have canned pineapple chunks, and dehydrated.
 
I love pizza. I could live off of just pizza I think. There is a lot of rock where I own an off grid cabin and I have been wanting to build a smoker/oven there out of rock. I have been looking at youtube videos on how to do so but I just haven't found the right one that I am happy with. I want it to look nice and be something permanent but not so involved that it takes me years to complete. It also would need to burn wood as that is also readily available there. It would need to be large enough to bake bread in or a pizza if I wanted to as well as smoke meat in. I'm guessing that it will have to be two different items as a smoker is different from an oven.
 
Great thread! Auguson Farms makes a pizza pail: https://www.augasonfarms.com/cheesy-pizza-kit?q=pizza. I dont know the shelf life , but Chef Boyardee makes a "pizza kit" with the crust, sauce and cheese in the box. When I make pizza , I use my sourdough starter to make the crust. There is nothing like a nice familiar meal in the stress of a disaster.

They also have a Fiesta pail: https://www.augasonfarms.com/fiesta-pail-limited-time-availability, and an Italian pail https://www.augasonfarms.com/italian-pail?q=italian
 
Pizza is not what I would call a survival food. It is a comfort food. In an emergency the bread would be a great survival food and it would go a lot further than it would as a pizza.
That loaf of bread will be great for sandwiches or with soup or stew. The pizza that I make is very expensive food and it does not stretch out for multiple meals. It would be great after a three day forced march when everyone is tired and depressed. One meal that will fill you and make you feel good. Most of our storage food will be made into soups and stews because they are quick and can be stretched out for a couple of days while remaining mobile if required. I have canned meat, potatoes, beans and stored dry beans and rice and canned veggies that can be combined in many different ways to make fulfilling meals that are nutritious and satisfying. They are made in one pot in under a half hour. That time frame is important if you don't want to invite all the folks for miles around to dinner.
 
My pizza dough recipe:
2 cups hot water, 1/2 cup butter (can use ghee), 1/3 cup sugar, 2 tsp salt, 1/2 cup cold water, 8 Tablespoons of yeast, 6 1/2 cups of flour (I use half white, half wheat), 2 eggs, 1/4 cup olive oil.
Melt butter in hot water, add sugar and salt and stir. Add cold water, then yeast. Let it sit 10 minutes. Add 3 cups of flour and mix. Add eggs and the rest of the flour and olive oil. Mix. Let rise. Punch down, rise again. I freeze half the dough when I make it. I keep all of those ingredients in my food storage.
To make outside in a dutch oven...get your briquettes hot, or your wood started. Grease the bottom of the dutch oven. Spread the dough out on the bottom. Add toppings. Lid on, briquettes on top if using them, and on bottom. 6/6 is good. About 20 minutes. Can cook it on an inverted dutch oven lid, too, open baking, but it's a little tricky taking it off the heat.
Toppings from storage I could use (first I would raid my garden for fresh veg): Tomato powder..add water and Italian seasoning for sauce. I would prefer to make my cheese from powdered or shelf life milk, but would use freeze dried as a second choice. I also have plenty of parmesan stored. Sliced olives, rehydrated some jerky and cut it small for meat, have pepperoni in storage (lasts a year), have dehydrated mushrooms and bell pepper strips I would rehydrate, also dehydrated onion. I like sausage on my pizza, and have a bunch in the freezer - which I would use if it were still there. Husband likes pineapple on his, and I do have canned pineapple chunks, and dehydrated.
Thanks, Amish! It sounds like this is one of the meals you have prepped for and have made from your preps.

Pepperoni can be purchased as a shelf stable food. Dollar Tree has packages of it.

Tomato powder was one thing I was thinking of for the sauce. I thought of the possibility of making and canning sauce as well.

Charcoal Briquettes--I keep mine in 5 gallon buckets.
 
Last edited:
I've used a lot of different things for the base under different circumstances and they all turned out great.

Scone dough base.
Yeast bread base.
Beer quick bread base.
Fry Jack base.
Brought Italian flat bread base.
Indian Nan bread.
Even bread slices to make pizza pockets in the jaffle iron.
***Edited to add Damper bread base.

I've used these in a conventional oven, pizza stone, cast iron fry pan, jaffle iron, Sun Oven or on a hot BBQ plate over a fire.

Toppings have been varied as to what was on hand but it's a bread base with tomato paste and shelf stable Kraft processed cheese and whatever else is around to go with it with a sprinkle of dried mixed Italian herbs.
Melted cheese makes most things taste good.

A break in austerity food is a morale booster and it's why I have a variety of snivel rations in my preps
 
Last edited:
Pizza is not what I would call a survival food. It is a comfort food. In an emergency the bread would be a great survival food and it would go a lot further than it would as a pizza.
That loaf of bread will be great for sandwiches or with soup or stew. The pizza that I make is very expensive food and it does not stretch out for multiple meals. It would be great after a three day forced march when everyone is tired and depressed. One meal that will fill you and make you feel good. Most of our storage food will be made into soups and stews because they are quick and can be stretched out for a couple of days while remaining mobile if required. I have canned meat, potatoes, beans and stored dry beans and rice and canned veggies that can be combined in many different ways to make fulfilling meals that are nutritious and satisfying. They are made in one pot in under a half hour. That time frame is important if you don't want to invite all the folks for miles around to dinner.

For me, a loaf of homemade bread is comfort food as well, but more basic than pizza, but I think that after days of eating bread, variety will help. I can see pizza being a food that could be great for people when life has been rough, stressful, and demanding. I don't see it as something that would be made while on a journey by foot.

The guy in the video whose family wouldn't eat anything he has in food storage, is one reason for me to consider prepping things other than cans of beans, veggies, ramen, rice. I know they hadn't really experienced hunger and he hadn't stored what they eat.

My first preps were beans, rice and wheat, very basic food that at the least will help prevent starvation. I have much more variety in my preps now, but I am also wanting to create more variety with a food that is very popular by many people. There are many other menus we could develop in the same way.

Like you, I have many things that could go into soups and stews. Being raised by grandparents, soups and stews were commonly served and frequently made from leftovers with more food added to make a well rounded meal. A roast beef on Sunday became the base for beef vegetable soup that would be eaten for a couple meals. A roasted chicken became the base of chicken soup. The bones in the meat were important for flavor and nutrition. This works for me, but I have known people who told me that they hated soup. I always wondered what they were served as children that brought that reaction from them.

I agree with Tank-Girl, a break in austerity will be a morale booster. If we don't plan or prep for it, we won't have it if we need it or want it. Also, that plan of 14 meals is done for a reason, to help prevent food fatigue. I am trying to work out one meal out of 14 dinners that could be prepped for by any of us, in a collaborative way of looking at what is needed.
 
Last edited:
Using a Jaffle iron to make pizza pockets over a very small fire.

I can imagine this being a fun activity for a group like a pizza party.
Setting out bread and various fillings and letting people make their own according to their own tastes.
People laughing and sitting around the fire waiting for their jaffle to cook and then laughing at
people who try to eat their boiling hot jaffle too soon.
We did this when we went camping with extended family and it was a blast.

 
Low Carb and Gluten Free Crust

A woman I know told me that this crust is excellent and that this is what she makes pizza with now that she is on a keto diet. She prefers it to the cauliflower crust.

https://hip2save.com/recipes/fat-head-pizza-crust-recipe-finally-a-low-carb-pizza-i-love/

You’ve gotta try making Fat Head pizza dough out of cheese and almond flour! It tastes great, is keto-friendly, low carb, gluten-free, and happens to be super simple method using just a few main ingredients. Plus, I like that the texture is chewy like normal pizza dough, and sturdy enough to pick up a piece to eat!Love pizza, but not the carbs?!

Fat Head Pizza is a very popular low-carb recipe idea online and also happens to be a favorite among several of my fellow Hip2save sidekicks, so I was excited to try it out!

FAT HEAD LOW-CARB PIZZA CRUST

This Fat Head pizza crust recipe is finally a low carb pizza I love! You're going to love it, too!

INGREDIENTS
  • 3/4 cup almond meal/flour
  • 1 and 3/4 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
  • 2 tablespoons cream cheese
  • 1 egg
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • Desired pizza toppings (tomato paste or sauce, mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, mushrooms, bell peppers, etc.)
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Combine almond flour and mozzarella cheese in a microwave safe bowl. Add in cream cheese and cook for one minute. Stir, and cook for an additional 30 seconds in the microwave.

2 .Mix in egg, salt, and Italian seasoning, and stir.

3. Shape the dough into a ball and place between two pieces of parchment paper.

4. Use a rolling pin on top of the parchment paper to roll dough in a circular shape. (Mine was more of an oval.)

5. Remove the top parchment paper and slide dough onto a baking sheet or pizza stone. Bake at 425 degrees in the oven for 12-14 minutes until slightly browned.

6. Add any desired pizza toppings and sauce you’d like to the top of the crust. (Keep in mind, if using raw meat you’d want to cook it first before putting on pizza.) Continue cooking in oven for 5 minutes until cheese melts.

Things to Consider:
  • I diced bell peppers and mushrooms and sauteed them first on the stove before topping my pizza, but that’s just personal preference.
  • I’ve read that you can substitute 1/4 cup of coconut flour instead of almond flour, but haven’t tried it yet.
  • Next time I may try flipping the Fat Head pizza crust over halfway through baking for a more evenly cooked crust.
  • You can divide pastry and make smaller personalized pizzas!
  • This pastry would make delicious “garlic bread” and a bread substitute for various other recipes!
No joke ~ this pizza is YUMMY! We liked the taste and texture better than cauliflower pizza!
 
Last edited:
Great thread! Auguson Farms makes a pizza pail: https://www.augasonfarms.com/cheesy-pizza-kit?q=pizza. I dont know the shelf life , but Chef Boyardee makes a "pizza kit" with the crust, sauce and cheese in the box. When I make pizza , I use my sourdough starter to make the crust. There is nothing like a nice familiar meal in the stress of a disaster.

They also have a Fiesta pail: https://www.augasonfarms.com/fiesta-pail-limited-time-availability, and an Italian pail https://www.augasonfarms.com/italian-pail?q=italian
Chef Boyardee pizza in the pizza kit was the first pizza I made and ate. It came with parmesan cheese. I haven't seen the kit in quite a while, but I haven't been looking for it either.
 
Preps for pizza: Dehydrated onion, peppers, mushrooms, canned sauce, canned ground meat and canned sausage, freeze dried cheese.
Yes! Sounds good to me! (minus the mushrooms--I have tried and tried to acquire a taste for them.)

Have you used freeze dried cheese? I have some dried cheese that looks like the cheese that comes in the Kraft mac and cheese. I have used some, but not in a long time. What I am wondering about freeze dried mozzarella cheese is if it would met when it is cooked on pizza? Anyone? I also want to know if anyone has made mozzarella cheese?
 
I love pizza. I could live off of just pizza I think. There is a lot of rock where I own an off grid cabin and I have been wanting to build a smoker/oven there out of rock. I have been looking at youtube videos on how to do so but I just haven't found the right one that I am happy with. I want it to look nice and be something permanent but not so involved that it takes me years to complete. It also would need to burn wood as that is also readily available there. It would need to be large enough to bake bread in or a pizza if I wanted to as well as smoke meat in. I'm guessing that it will have to be two different items as a smoker is different from an oven.
I want a pizza oven outside as well. I know that an outdoor oven can be used to make a number of things, and would be great to have in the summer.
Doesn't the type of rock make a big difference in how well it would work? Something that is more flat on the edges and sides might be easier to work with than a stone that is rounded off. Of course, you have to work with what you have.
 
Yes! Sounds good to me! (minus the mushrooms--I have tried and tried to acquire a taste for them.)

Have you used freeze dried cheese? I have some dried cheese that looks like the cheese that comes in the Kraft mac and cheese. I have used some, but not in a long time. What I am wondering about freeze dried mozzarella cheese is if it would met when it is cooked on pizza? Anyone? I also want to know if anyone has made mozzarella cheese?
I have not tried freeze dried cheese but have used the powder.
 
oven.jpg
You can buy a cast iron skillet at Walmart for less than $5. They will never be non stick because they are too rough, unless you use the grinder on it. Cutting the handle off is very easy. Get a cast iron trivet and put bolts in it to hold it off the bottom of the dutch oven and set your modified skillet on top the trivet. Good for a personal pizza. My friend made this one.
 
Pizza sauce recipe alternatives

There are some notes in here from a previous discussion.

https://www.wholesomeyum.com/recipes/fathead-pizza-crust-low-carb-keto-gluten-free-nut-free/

Pizza Sauce recipe 1:

1 6 ounce can tomato paste
1 1/2 cup water
1/3 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tablespoon oregano
1/2 tablespoon basil
1/2 tablespoon rosemary

Mix tomato paste, water & oil. Mix well. Add spices and garlic. Let sit for a couple hours before using.

Pizza Sauce recipe 2:

1 15 ounce can tomato sauce
1 6 ounce can tomato paste
1 tablespoon ground oregano
2 minced garlic cloves
1 teaspoon ground paprika
1 tablespoon basil
1/2 teaspoon rosemary

Mix tomato sauce and paste until smooth. Add everything else. It is better to let set a couple hours so spices blend.

Recipe From Amish Heart: Sauce: About 4 lbs of Roma tomatoes. Peel them and seed them if you can. Put in blender and pulverize. Stick in pot and bring to boil, then cover and simmer 1/2 hour. Add what you like. Some ideas: onions that have been cooked in olive oil, minced garlic, a little red wine, salt, pepper, a little red pepper flakes if you like it spicy, Italian seasoning; and if its too runny, I add some tomato powder made into a paste (or you can use canned pure tomato paste). You can make this in a small crockpot and let it simmer while you're out all day. You can water bath can it or keep in the fridge. You could dump it over pasta, too, and add a little parmesan.
 
I want a pizza oven outside as well. I know that an outdoor oven can be used to make a number of things, and would be great to have in the summer.
Doesn't the type of rock make a big difference in how well it would work? Something that is more flat on the edges and sides might be easier to work with than a stone that is rounded off. Of course, you have to work with what you have.

Yes and you also have to make sure somehow that it doesn't crack or explode into pieces in the heat. I guess maybe heat it in a fire before you build with it. Sure would suck to build it then watch it crack to pieces the first time you used it. LOL.
 
So, I've seen two types of stone ovens built. One type is a dome and the fire simply goes into the edges of the dome and your baked item sits in the middle. I've also seen some build a two level oven and the fire goes into a space underneath the oven part and has a gap in the back that allows the heat to come up into the oven chamber from behind. I'm thinking something like the second one would be good to use as an oven/smoker combo but might take a lot longer to bake things in.
 
Yes! Sounds good to me! (minus the mushrooms--I have tried and tried to acquire a taste for them.)

Have you used freeze dried cheese? I have some dried cheese that looks like the cheese that comes in the Kraft mac and cheese. I have used some, but not in a long time. What I am wondering about freeze dried mozzarella cheese is if it would met when it is cooked on pizza? Anyone? I also want to know if anyone has made mozzarella cheese?

The freeze dried stuff does melt but not as well as fresh. I rehydrate it before using. I've made mozzarella.
 
Italian seasoning, a blend of herbs, is made mostly from spices that are relatively easily grown herbs. The seasoning is used in the sauce, but in the video shown previously, can also be used in the crust. The downside is that the herbs mostly are not good for long term storage.

I am going to again grow herbs in pots that I can bring in when it gets cold in the fall:
1. Grow them in a pot, either one large pot or individual pots for each herb
2. Freeze them either fresh or dried

This recipe from taste of home can certainly be adjusted to our individual taste, need, and availability. I have never seen crushed red pepper in Italian seasoning before, but it might be good for those of us who like spicy foods.

https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/italian-seasoning/

Ingredients
  • 3 tablespoons each dried basil, oregano and parsley flakes
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • Place all ingredients, in batches if necessary, in a spice grinder or small bowl. Grind or crush with the back of a spoon until mixture becomes a coarse powder. Store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
Nutrition Facts
1/4 teaspoon: 1 calories, 1g fat (0 saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 1mg sodium, 1g carbohydrate (0 sugars, 1g fiber), 1g protein.

All Recipes has a few different ingredient, and they too have red peppers:
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/34450/italian-seasoning-i/

Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons dried basil
  • 2 tablespoons dried oregano
  • 2 tablespoons dried rosemary
  • 2 tablespoons dried marjoram
  • 2 tablespoons dried cilantro
  • 2 tablespoons dried thyme
    040100002931_1.jpg.d.jpg
  • 2 tablespoons dried savory
  • 2 tablespoons red pepper flakes
Directions
  1. In a food processor, combine basil, oregano, rosemary, marjoram, cilantro, thyme, savory and red pepper flakes. Blend for 1 minute, or until desired consistency is achieved.
Nutrition Facts

Per Serving: 20 calories; 0.7 g fat; 4.1 g carbohydrates; 0.7 g protein;0 mg cholesterol; 3 mg sodium.
 
AmishHeart talked about having a book named Meals in a Jar. I found a book by Julie Languille that has a recipe for Pizza Kits. This makes 16 pizza kits. If you want pizza once a week for almost a year, triple this or do this 3 times and you will have 48 kits.

Ingredients for crust
40 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup salt
2 cups coconut oil or shortening
16 (.25 ounce) packets active dry yeast

16 1/2 pint jars sauce (spaghetti or pizza sauce)

Various toppings are mentioned. Toppings are of your choice.

Instructions: (I would use jars)
For crust mix: In each 16 vacuum bags, add and then seal:
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 packet (2 tablespoons) coconut oil or shortening well wrapped in plastic wrap
1 packet yeast or 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

Ready-Made Meal Assembly
In Mylar bags, totes or vacuum bags, store:
1 bag crust mix
1 can sauce
1 bag sealed, dehydrated mozzarella cheese (not fresh cheese)
Toppings of your choice
 
Last edited:
I was at Costco last weekend. I looked at a number of items to check for prices, including flours. I would think that bread flour and all purpose flour would both work.

25 pounds of restaurant bread flour $5.99
25 pounds all purpose flour $5.79
50 pounds all purpose flour $10.99

They also had Pizza kits: includes 4 pre-made crusts and 4 packets of sauce $8.89 (no cheese or toppings included)

My guess is that 25 pounds of flour would be enough for 16 kits. I will probably put these together soon, but will be working away from home for a couple weeks.

Dollar Tree has 8 ounce jars of pizza sauce for $1. They also have shelf stable packages of pepperoni for $1.00.
 
Or you can add tomato powder in the kits with some dehydrated garlic and Italian seasoning instead of the pizza sauce.
This would make the kits lighter in weight and they would last longer on the shelf. Canned tomato products have a limited shelf life due to the acid.

I personally don't have any, but will get some tomato powder. I have dehydrated tomatoes, but wasn't thrilled at the outcome. I will try again this summer. I would like to walk in somewhere and buy tomato powder and I have two possible locations where I have seen it before, but not close to home. I think this would be preferable for long term storage.

I am also concerned about the shelf life of the yeast in these packets. I always keep mine in the freezer or fridge. I think that even though there is yeast packed into these kits, it would still be a great idea to keep some in the fridge or freezer if it doesn't work from the kits.

I have also been thinking of the kits in Mylar. I think making some up and then keeping them in 5 gallon buckets as a second layer of protection is peace of mind. I have had bugs get into Mylar bags and know that rodents can get into Mylar. Also, the second layer protects against rodents. I do have some empty popcorn tins that would work as well. I would put some diatomaceous earth into the buckets for bugs.
 
I do our dinner "kits" always in mylar, then store them in big tubs with tight lids. I like the extra protection, too. I don't know about the yeast. But it's worth a try. What's in self rising flour? Can't be that hard. Maybe it's just baking powder. What didn't you like about the tomatoes?
 

Latest posts

Back
Top