I’ve decided to add a recipe segment to my posts. These will be recipes I have created on my own and some I’ve come across in cookbooks or the internet. What better to start with than a dish everyone loves- pizza! Making pizza from scratch is super easy. There are a ton of recipes to make the dough, but my favorite one comes from The Essential Baking Cookbook. This is my go-to recipe because unlike many others, you DON’T have to let the dough rise overnight. When I get the craving for pizza I want it then and there. This keeps me from caving in and ordering from a pizzeria!

 

Prep time: 30 minutes +1 hour 30 minutes rising

Total cooking time: 30 minutes

Makes 2 12 inch or 1 17 inch pie

Difficulty level: 1

 

7g (1/4 oz) sachet dried yeast

3 teaspoons caster sugar

3 1/2 cups (14 oz) White bread flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup (2 fl oz) olive oil

1/3 cup warm water (step 1)

1/2 cup warm water (step 2)

 

1. Place the yeast, sugar, and 1/3 cup of warm water in a small bowl and stir well. Leave in a warm place for 5 minutes, or until bubbles appear on the surface. The mixture should be frothy and slightly increased in volume. If your yeast doesn’t foam it is dead, so you will have to discard it and start again.

 

2. Sift the flour and salt into a bowl and make a well in the center. Add the yeast mixture, oil and 1/2 cup warm water and mix together. Add more water if the dough is dry.

 

3. Gather the dough into a ball and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for 12 minutes, or until soft and elastic.

 

4. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and brush over the surface with oil. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel and leave in a warm place for 1-1 1/2 hours, or until doubled in volume.

 

5. Punch down the dough. Divide the dough and gently knead on a lightly floured surface into the desired size and shape. Add toppings and bake 375 degrees for 30 minutes, or until full cooked and cheese caramelizes

 

* To make a classic topping, using a half quantity of pizza dough, roll out to a 12 inch circle. Spread 3/4 cup of bottled tomato pasta sauce over the base. Top with Italian salami, cut into strips. Follow with 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, 4 oz of sliced small cap mushrooms, 1 onion, cut into thin wedges, 1/2 green pepper, sliced and 12 pitted black olives. Place 6 anchovy fillets over the top and sprinkle with 5 oz Parmesan cheese.

 

** I made a vegetarian pizza with black olives, Roma tomato chunks, sliced cap mushrooms. I like everything spicy, so I also added powdered cayenne pepper and crushed red pepper to my pizza sauce. Topped of with Parmesan cheese and garlic powder. It. Was. Awesome! lol

 

The great thing about pizza is that you can make it your own! Put anything you can think of on it and it always tastes good! Get creative and have fun!

 

Notes-

You can substitute whole wheat flour for the white flour, but you MUST use the same TYPE of flour. In this case bread flour is used. Ex. 1 cup whole wheat BREAD flour= 1 cup white BREAD flour.

Dough can be frozen up to 3 months.