Tawa Pizza (No-Oven, No-Yeast Pan Pizza)
توا پیزا (بغیر اوون، بغیر خمیر کا پین پیزا)
Many Pakistani kitchens don't have an oven, and that shouldn't mean no pizza. This tawa pizza uses a soft dough raised with baking powder and yogurt instead of yeast, so it's ready to cook in 10 minutes. It's cooked in a heavy pan with a lid on low heat: the base fries golden and crisp while the trapped steam melts the cheese. Short on time? Use a leftover roti or a paratha as the base for a 5-minute mini pizza.
- ⏱ Total: 30 min
- Prep: 15 min
- Cook: 15 min
- Easy
- Serves 2
Method
Tap a step when it is done.
Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar. Add the yogurt and 2 tbsp oil and bring together into a soft dough, adding warm water a spoon at a time if needed. Knead for 2 minutes until smooth, cover and rest for 10 minutes.
Divide in two and roll each piece into a 20 cm circle, about 5 mm thick. Prick all over with a fork so it doesn't balloon.
Heat a heavy frying pan or with a lid on low-medium heat and add a few drops of oil. Lay in one base and cook for 2–3 minutes until the bottom has golden spots. Flip it over.
Quickly spread the cooked side with sauce, then scatter cheese, vegetables, chicken and oregano. Turn the heat to low, cover, and cook for 6–8 minutes until the cheese melts and the base is crisp.
Slide the pizza onto a board, cut into wedges and serve hot. Repeat with the second base.
Kitchen notes
5-minute roti or paratha pizza: toast a roti or frozen paratha on one side, flip, top and cover on low heat for 3–4 minutes. Children can assemble their own.
Keep the heat low once the toppings go on. Too high and the base burns before the cheese melts.
A sprinkle of water on the hot pan around the pizza, then the lid on at once, makes a burst of steam that melts the cheese faster.
Pizza without an oven
Ovens are still uncommon in many Pakistani homes, especially outside big cities, and electricity and gas costs make heating one for a single pizza expensive anyway. The tawa or frying pan is in every kitchen. With a lid, it works like a tiny oven: heat from below crisps the base, and steam trapped under the lid melts the cheese on top.
The no-yeast dough
Baking powder, a little baking soda and yogurt make a soft dough that puffs as it cooks, a bit like a thick naan. It needs only 10 minutes’ rest, so pizza can be on the table within half an hour of deciding to make it. It’s also a good dough for children to knead and shape.
Roti and paratha pizza
For the fastest version of all, use a leftover roti or a frozen paratha as the base. Toast one side, flip, add a spoon of sauce, cheese and whatever is in the fridge, and cover for a few minutes. It’s a great way to use up leftover chicken or vegetables and makes an easy after-school snack.
Toppings and serving
Keep toppings light and finely chopped so they heat through. Shredded chicken, sweet corn, capsicum, onion and olives all work. For oven pizzas, see our pizza dough, tikka pizza and fajita pizza.
Questions people ask
Can I use yeast dough instead?
Yes. Our pan-pizza dough works on the tawa too; roll it thinner and cook it the same way, with the lid on for longer (10–12 minutes).
Can I use a non-stick pan?
Yes, on low-medium heat with a lid, it works very well and needs very little oil.
Nutrition (estimate, per serving)
- Calories
- 640
- Protein
- 26 g
- Fat
- 26 g
- Carbs
- 76 g
