Pizza is a flatbread, originated in Italy and prepared with a dough leavened with yeast. The crust forms the bottom of the pizza, covered with tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese and toppings of choice. The dough is prepared with all-purpose flour or bread flour, yeast, olive oil, water and salt. Covered and set aside to double in size for an hour-and-a-half. While the dough is proofing, it is time to make the tomato sauce, which can also be made ahead. Once the dough has risen, it is punched down and shaped into desired shaped pizzas. I prefer to bake the crust first in a preheated oven at 400 F or 200 C for 4 to 5 minutes. Then, cover the crust with tomato sauce, cheese and various toppings. Bake until crust cooked through, golden brown with cheese melted. Delicious and hard to resist, pizza is one of my weakness.
When making pizza, use proper measuring cups and spoons. Measurements should be precise. When activating the dry yeast, use lukewarm water, comfortable to your touch. Too hot will kill the yeast and prevent it from rising, whereas too cold will slow or stop yeast action. Yeast feeds on sugar, so adding some helps it to activate and foam, also known as "proofing". Sugar enhances in browning the crust too. Salt kills the yeast so never add it directly to the yeast. After mixing in some flour, then combine the salt. The dough should be soft, smooth and no longer sticky. Place dough in a greased bowl, covered and in a warm place to rise. A well risen dough will not spring back when you poke your fingers into it. Preheat oven before baking and bake at the indicated temperature.
When making pizza, use proper measuring cups and spoons. Measurements should be precise. When activating the dry yeast, use lukewarm water, comfortable to your touch. Too hot will kill the yeast and prevent it from rising, whereas too cold will slow or stop yeast action. Yeast feeds on sugar, so adding some helps it to activate and foam, also known as "proofing". Sugar enhances in browning the crust too. Salt kills the yeast so never add it directly to the yeast. After mixing in some flour, then combine the salt. The dough should be soft, smooth and no longer sticky. Place dough in a greased bowl, covered and in a warm place to rise. A well risen dough will not spring back when you poke your fingers into it. Preheat oven before baking and bake at the indicated temperature.
Pizza
(Yields one 14-inch pizza)
Dough
Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour or bread flour
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 1/3 cups lukewarm water
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
Method:
Add the yeast to the lukewarm water along with sugar and set aside for 5 minutes to foam and froth.
Note: The water should be slightly warm to the touch not hot.
Sift the flour and salt in a bowl. Add the yeast, olive oil and mix to form a dough.
Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead well for 5 to 8 minutes to a soft, smooth dough. It should spring back when pressed with two fingers.
Place dough in a greased bowl, turning once. Cover with plastic wrap and let dough rise in a warm place until double in size, about 1 hour.
Once risen, punch the dough down to deflate the air. Press and shape dough in a greased 14-inch lodge pizza pan (details below at Note No. 10). Spread tomato sauce, then shredded cheese and choice of toppings. Brush the sides of the dough all around with olive oil.
Preheat the oven to 400 F or 200 C.
Bake in the oven for 25 minutes until the crust is golden brown and cheese melted with pizza cooked in the centre.
To make smaller pizzas without the lodge pizza pan:
Divide the dough into two balls. Roll each ball into a 9-inch diameter circle. Place rolled out circle on a lightly greased baking sheet and prick the top with a fork to prevent the dough from rising. Bake for 4 to 5 minutes.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven. Spread tomato sauce on the partially bottom cooked crust, then shredded cheese and choice of toppings. Transfer pizzas back in the oven and bake until the crust is golden brown and cheese melted, about 12 to 15 minutes.
To prepare calzones, roll dough ball into a 9-inch diameter circle. Spread some tomato sauce in the centre of the circle, pepperonis, vegetables as indicated below and cheese. Fold the other half over to form a crescent-shape and then, pinch edges of the dough inward to seal. Prick the top with a fork. Transfer calzone to baking sheet, lightly brush the top with oil and bake for 20 minutes until golden brown.
Toppings
The following can be used:
Tomato Sauce
Ingredients:
1 onion (chopped) or 1 teaspoon onion powder
4 large cloves garlic (minced) or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon red chilli flakes
1/4 teaspoon pepper powder
1/2 teaspoon oregano powder
1 (28 ounce) can of whole or diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 sprig of fresh basil leaves (torn)
a pinch of sugar
salt
Method:
Puree the tomatoes with a hand blender directly in the can or transfer into a saucepan and blend.
Heat a pan with olive oil, add onion, garlic and chilli flakes. When onion is soft, add tomato puree along with rest of the ingredients. Simmer till all the water evaporates and sauce is thick.
Note:
(Yields one 14-inch pizza)
Dough
Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour or bread flour
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 1/3 cups lukewarm water
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
Method:
Add the yeast to the lukewarm water along with sugar and set aside for 5 minutes to foam and froth.
Note: The water should be slightly warm to the touch not hot.
Sift the flour and salt in a bowl. Add the yeast, olive oil and mix to form a dough.
Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead well for 5 to 8 minutes to a soft, smooth dough. It should spring back when pressed with two fingers.
Place dough in a greased bowl, turning once. Cover with plastic wrap and let dough rise in a warm place until double in size, about 1 hour.
Once risen, punch the dough down to deflate the air. Press and shape dough in a greased 14-inch lodge pizza pan (details below at Note No. 10). Spread tomato sauce, then shredded cheese and choice of toppings. Brush the sides of the dough all around with olive oil.
Preheat the oven to 400 F or 200 C.
Bake in the oven for 25 minutes until the crust is golden brown and cheese melted with pizza cooked in the centre.
To make smaller pizzas without the lodge pizza pan:
Divide the dough into two balls. Roll each ball into a 9-inch diameter circle. Place rolled out circle on a lightly greased baking sheet and prick the top with a fork to prevent the dough from rising. Bake for 4 to 5 minutes.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven. Spread tomato sauce on the partially bottom cooked crust, then shredded cheese and choice of toppings. Transfer pizzas back in the oven and bake until the crust is golden brown and cheese melted, about 12 to 15 minutes.
To prepare calzones, roll dough ball into a 9-inch diameter circle. Spread some tomato sauce in the centre of the circle, pepperonis, vegetables as indicated below and cheese. Fold the other half over to form a crescent-shape and then, pinch edges of the dough inward to seal. Prick the top with a fork. Transfer calzone to baking sheet, lightly brush the top with oil and bake for 20 minutes until golden brown.
Toppings
The following can be used:
- Two cups shredded mozzarella cheese.
- One red onion - thinly or thickly sliced.
- One green bell pepper (capsicum) – thinly sliced.
- One cup pepperoni placed on an absorbent paper towel and first heated in the microwave for 30 seconds to get rid of excess fat. Thus, avoiding the pizza from becoming too greasy.
- All the above toppings were used in the calzone.
- A combination of cheeses and other meats like bacon or sausages can be substituted for the above toppings.
- Hawaiian pizza has ham and pineapple.
- For vegetarian pizza, avoid meat toppings and use choice of vegetables.
- For Goa sausage pizza, cook the sausages with a dash of water and add onion slices at the end to soften slightly. Transfer the mixture to a sieve set over a bowl to drain off excess fat. Follow pizza crust recipe and baking instructions given above. Spread sausage mixture 8 minutes before taking the pizzas out from the oven. Three thin crust pizzas prepared with the dough. Calzones in the pictures stuffed with Goa sausage mixture.
- Lodge 14-inch cast-iron pizza pan can be found at the following link: https://amzn.to/2ZTegBa
Tomato Sauce
Ingredients:
1 onion (chopped) or 1 teaspoon onion powder
4 large cloves garlic (minced) or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon red chilli flakes
1/4 teaspoon pepper powder
1/2 teaspoon oregano powder
1 (28 ounce) can of whole or diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 sprig of fresh basil leaves (torn)
a pinch of sugar
salt
Method:
Puree the tomatoes with a hand blender directly in the can or transfer into a saucepan and blend.
Heat a pan with olive oil, add onion, garlic and chilli flakes. When onion is soft, add tomato puree along with rest of the ingredients. Simmer till all the water evaporates and sauce is thick.
Note:
- Fresh onion and garlic can be substituted with respective powders (as indicate) to expedite preparation of the sauce.
