Yogurt’s history goes back to the Neolithic period when people at that time where breeding animals that gave them milk. Probably its invention was an accident. In the area of today’s Turkey or Iran somebody must have left a clay pot filled with milk that somehow got warm and started thickening to yogurt. Apart from its great taste, people of that time realized that that was a great way to preserve milk and give it a longer expiration date.
Egyptian pharaohs in their scripts mention yogurt and ancient Greeks also knew its healthy qualities. Herodotus and Galen have talked thoroughly about yogurt and its positive effect to intestines. Romans also were big fans of yogurt and consumed large quantities of it.
It is believed that yogurt became known to other civilizations via wars and commerce. The introduction of yogurt in India became through a Persian invasion. Indians embraced the new milk byproduct to that extend, that it became a big part of their diet.
Jenkins Chan’s army kept the meat in yogurt to make it last longer and it was the food that were eating in case there was nothing else for them to consume.
In west Europe yogurt started becoming famous in 16th century A.C. when French king Francis I who suffered from a disease in his intestines became well, when a therapist form Constantinople made yogurt and started treating him with it.
Nevertheless, the real booming of yogurt started when Nobel prize winner Dr. Metchnikoff from the institute of Pasteur in Paris isolated two bacilli responsible for transforming milk to yogurt and thus the industrial production of yogurt became a reachable target.
Dr. Metchnikoff was investigating the early ageing of people and his studies led him to the Balkans. At that time the average life expectancy was 48 years in the US, whereas in Bulgaria, which was one the poorest countries in the world, the corresponding number was 87 years. Bulgarians were consuming a lot of yogurt. That led the doctor to assume that yogurt was the elixir of life at that time.
Today yogurt is a part of almost everyone’s diet and we all know its positive effects on human body. I love yogurt and use it in sweet and savory creations. Last Sunday I was a bit lazy and didn’t want to cook a laborious meal. So, I thought that a pizza was in order. I had all the ingredients handy and I decided to go with a dough that doesn’t need breeding or waiting. If you feel like pizza, go ahead and try this dough. It is formed very easily and it is very tasty and crusty when baked. I topped it with whatever I had in my fridge just like all decent home pizzas should be. Feel free to top it with either savory or even sweet topping. Next time I will try to top it with Nutella and fruits or vanilla pastry cream and fruits. We’ll see.
- 1 yogurt container 200 ml/6.8 fl oz.
- 1 yogurt container all purpose flour (after emptying the yogurt container, wash it and dry it and use it as measure)
- 1 tsp sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil (optional)
- Marinara sauce about ¼ cup
- Mushrooms about 100 gr. / 3.5 oz., sliced
- Turkey bacon about 3 slices chopped
- ½ red pepper sliced
- 2 pineapple rings, cut in pieces
- About 1 cup of grated cheese anything you have handy
- In your stand mixer place all the ingredients of the dough and mix until a soft dough is gathered around the hook.
- Remove it and on a floured surface form the dough into a round disk.
- Add the marinara sauce and all the toppings finishing with the cheese.
- Preheat oven to 200˚C/400˚F.
- Place the pizza in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until the dough is baked at the bottom and the cheese has melted and taken a nice golden color.
- 1 κεσεδάκι γιαούρτι 200 ml
- 1 κεσεδάκι αλεύρι για όλες τις χρήσεις (χρησιμοποιήστε το κεσεδάκι του γιαουρτιού για το μέτρημα)
- 1 κ.γ. ζάχαρη
- ½ κ.γ. αλάτι
- 1 κ.σ. ελαιόλαδο (προαιρετικό)
- Σάλτσα Μαρινάρα περίπου ¼ φλ.
- Μανιτάρια περίπου 100 γρ.
- Mπέικον γαλοπούλας περίπου 3 φέτες ψιλοκομμένο
- ½ κόκκινη πιπεριά σε φέτες
- 2 δαχτυλίδια ανανά, κομμένα σε κομμάτια
- περίπου 1 φλ. τριμμένο τυρί οτιδήποτε έχετε διαθέσιμο
- Στο μίξερ σας τοποθετήστε όλα τα συστατικά της ζύμης και ανακατέψτε μέχρι μια μαλακή ζύμη να συγκεντρωθεί γύρω από το γάντζο.
- Αφαιρέστε τη και σε μία αλευρωμένη επιφάνεια ανοίγουμε τη ζύμη σε ένα στρογγυλό δίσκο. Προσθέστε τη σάλτσα Μαρινάρα και όλα τα υλικά τελειώνοντας με το τυρί.
- Προθερμάνετε το φούρνο στους 200 ˚ C.
- Τοποθετούμε την πίτσα στο φούρνο και ψήνουμε για περίπου 20 λεπτά ή μέχρι να ψηθεί η ζύμη στο κάτω μέρος και το τυρί να έχει λιώσει και να έχει πάρει ένα ωραίο χρυσαφί χρώμα.
