I'd just like to point out that this is all
Kristin's fault. I mentioned earlier on Twitter that I could smell pizza cooking somewhere and the smell was driving me bananas... she piped up that I should make some. I had already eaten far too much junk this afternoon than was possibly good for me, and had earlier resigned myself to a bowl of homemade carrot & courgette soup for dinner. But the smell was too good to resist... damn you Kristin for encouraging me (and
Sarah too... bold Twitter buddies!).
I found the dough making pretty tough going for our Twizzaparty a few weeks ago and I certainly learned a trick or two, so tonight's effort was trouble-free as a result. Here's my step by step guide to making pizza - complete with lots of photos... this quantity makes about 4 x 10 inch thin pizzas.
Pizza Dough
500g Strong White Flour
1 x 7g sachet Dried Yeast
1 tsp Salt
1.5 tbsp Sugar
3 tbsp Olive Oil
300ml Tepid Water
This is so you know what to look for... every little helps!
Put all of the dry ingredients into a large bowl and add the olive oil. Rub it all together until it's a bit like clumpy breadcrumbs.
Now add 250ml of the water. Stir the mixture well with a plastic spoon, adding the rest of the water if there's still flour at the bottom of the bowl. Mix well until the dough starts to form a ball.
At this stage you can tip it out onto a work surface and start kneading it until it turns into smooth elastic dough. I hate mess, and based on my first experience of scraping dough off my countertop, kneaded it in the bowl with just one hand, leaving one clean paw free to run the tap, answer the phone etc. Only when it was nice and pliable did I turn it out onto the surface. Result... very little mess.
Starting to become pliable and mess-free
Now throw it into a clean and lightly oiled large plastic bowl, cover with a clean cloth or oiled cling film & stick somewhere nice and cosy for at least an hour - two is better if you have the time. During this little snooze, it will puff up to at least double the original size.
All puffed up after a sojourn in the evening sun...
Stick your fist into it a few times to knock the air out of it & tip onto a floured work surface.
A great tension reliever.. beating the crap out of the dough...
Now preheat your oven and a baking sheet/pizza stone to the hottest setting possible for at least 15 minutes.
All ready for dividing
Separate into 4 portions, store the ones you don't need in a lightly oiled ziplock freezer bag & freeze/keep in fridge for a few days until needed.
Well there's one for the oven, three for the fridge...
Get your toppings ready while the oven is heating up so you can turn into a lean, mean, well-oiled assembly machine...
Using a flour-dusted rolling pin and a well floured surface, roll out your dough thinly & place on the scorching hot baking sheet (dust this with a little bit of flour too).
Ready for the toppings
Now add your toppings...
do NOT put them on the dough before it goes onto the sheet. Trust me, this will be an absolute disaster - I can speak from experience here!
This pizza was a quick effort - due to being home alone and a last minute idea, so I used
2 tbsp Jamie Oliver Red Onion & Rosemary Pasta Sauce
1 ball of Low-Fat Mozzarella
Sweetcorn (lots of it)
Cooked sliced Chicken
Thinly sliced Mushrooms
Sliced Cherry Tomatoes
Bake for at least 10 minutes until the middle is cooked through. Eat quickly. Share if feeling generous.
Tomato Sauce & Mozzarella in place
Now for some Chicken & Cherry Tomatoes
Time for Sweetcorn & Mushrooms
The finished masterpiece...