Name: Kefir pizza dough
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 200 g spelt flour (All-purpose flour also works. Set aside a little extra for dusting.); 150 ml plain milk kefir (Choose plain, unsweetened kefir.); 1 tsp dried oregano; 1 tsp dried thyme; ½ tsp salt; 1 tbsp olive oil (For coating the shaped base.); 150 g cherry tomatoes (About 10 tomatoes; wash and cut into quarters.); 40 g Parmesan (Finely grated.)

By Nik, founder of 東歐嚴選｜kefir.link and former chef · Updated 2 November 2026

Pizza began as street food in Naples, and this quick version keeps that spirit: a thin base of smooth, nutty spelt flour, oregano and thyme, crowned with cherry tomatoes and Parmesan. Thick, mildly sour milk kefir binds the flour on its own, so there is no yeast to bloom and no rising time.

Prep time10 min

Total time30 min

Makes8 slices

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How Naples took pizza to the street

Pizza as we know it dates to the mid-eighteenth century, when Neapolitans began seasoning it with tomato. Small wood-fired shops baked it, and vendors carried it through the streets in copper containers with embers in a double bottom to keep it warm. By the 1860s, toppings changed with the seasons. Folded pizza, made to be eaten while walking, was born there as a takeaway, and Naples still sells it that way. The popular story that the Margherita was invented for a queen in 1889 is mostly legend, because an 1853 essay already describes pizza with basil, mozzarella and tomato.

Why spelt and kefir need a light touch

Kefir is thick and gently tangy, so it binds the flour on its own. Spelt is sweeter than ordinary red wheat and has plenty of gluten-forming protein, but its gluten is delicate. Mix the dough only until it holds together, because hard kneading works against spelt rather than for it. Without yeast or baking soda, the base stays thin and close to a flatbread, and it puffs only a little in the oven.

Toppings that keep the crust crisp

Water is the enemy of a crisp crust, so scatter the toppings with space between them instead of piling on layers. Mushrooms, peppers, zucchini and onions are best roasted first to drive off their water. Thinly sliced tomatoes can be salted and drained before they go on. Baby corn, mushrooms or shrimp are best half-cooked and cut small before they go on. Feta with pesto or mozzarella with Parma ham also work well.