Mmmmm... Pizza!! This is one food that literally is a staple for some people who don't have time to cook and are always on the go. Its the icon of all fast foods and is loved and cherished by kids and adults alike. But the pizzas that we order from outside are usually loaded with lots and lots of cheese, butter and other unhealthy stuff which if used moderately, can make it a much healthier option. And I cannot explain how incredibly satisfying it is to eat a Pizza that is made from scratch by your own hands!! You have to try it yourself and let me know! :)
Ingredients:
Pizza Base:
All purpose flour - 3 n 1/2 cups
Water - 125 ml
Olive oil - 2 tbsp
Salt - to taste (1/2 t sp)
Pepper - to taste (1/2 t sp)
Garlic powder - 1 tsp.
Sugar - 1/2 tsp
Dry Yeast (Quick raise) - Use 1/2 packet of a 7 gm pkt i.e. 3 n 1/2 gms.
Pizza Sauce:
Olive oil - 2 tbsp
Butter - 2 tbsp
Green Bell pepper - 2 medium, chopped
Garlic - 5 cloves finely chopped
Tomato puree - 2 cups
Tomatoes finely chopped - 2
Salt - to taste
Pepper - 1 tsp
Fresh Basil leaves - 8 - 10, finely chopped
Dried Oregano - 1 tb sp
Dried Rosemary - 1 tb sp
Crushed Red Pepper flakes - 1 tb sp
Pizza Toppings:
Red onions - 1 large, cubed or sliced
Red and Yellow bell peppers - 1 each, cubed
Tomatoes - 1 cubed (discard the seeds)
Garlic - 1tb sp chopped
Mushrooms - 1/2 cup chopped
Mozzarella Cheese - 2 cups, grated
Fresh basil - to garnish
Dried oregano - 1 tb sp
Dried Rosemary - 1 tb sp
Salt - to taste
Olive oil - 1 tb sp
Any partly cooked meat chunks if you like
Directions:
Pizza Base:
- Add the dry yeast, sugar,salt and mix. Let it stand covered for 10 minutes.
- Now add in the yeast mixture into the flour and the pepper and garlic powder.
- Knead for 3-4 minutes till a soft dough is formed. This dough is going to be very sticky and soft.
- Now cover and rest the dough for 1 hr at a dry, warm place in your kitchen.
- After an hour the dough should have risen well. Knead it again, for 3 minutes and rest for 30 min.
- Now, take a part of the dough as big as the baking sheet you have at home. You can either pat the dough onto the baking sheet (coated with olive oil) to form a base or roll it with a rolling pin,
into a pizza base. Use dry flour to dust if required.
- Now bake the base for 5 min or so in a hot oven at 300 degrees Celsius
Pizza Sauce:
- Saute garlic in olive oil and butter. You can add little chopped onions also if you like.
- Now add the green bell peppers and saute for few more seconds.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and the puree along with salt.
- Cook the sauce covered, till the tomatoes are cooked and the sauce reaches to the right consistency.
- Now add all the dried herbs and the fresh basil in the end and mix well.
Final assembly:
- Take the partly baked base and put as much pizza sauce as you want on the top(Do not overload as the pizza may get soggy)
- Then top with all the veggies and sprinkle with salt and herbs. Add the cheese and top with olive oil in the end.
- Now, bake in a hot oven of 300 D Celsius, till base is crisp and light (10 - 15 min)
- Use a regular knife or pizza cutter to make slices. Eat while nice and hot.
Tips:
- The usage ratio of yeast and all purpose flour is 1 gm : 1 cup. So you can make according to your needs.
- Before baking the base, prick it with a fork all over, so that it doesn't form air pockets.
- Use a little red food color in the pizza sauce to enhance the looks.
- Increase or decrease the proportions of garlic, dried herbs, pepper and cheese as per your taste.
- Place the toppings in concentric circles, in this way you will get each topping evenly spread and with every slice that you cut out.
- You can go crazy with your toppings as the options are unlimited!! Include stuff that your kids don't usually eat; as on a pizza, underneath that cheese, they wont even notice its there :) Some more options are: Asparagus, French beans, Zucchini, Artichoke, Broccoli, Spinach, Cabbage, Carrots, Caramelized onions, Corn, Sun dried tomatoes, Pineapple
- Use any meat that you like eg: cooked chicken breast, or turkey. You can also use ready to eat lunch meats like sausages for the toppings.
- You can even Indianize the whole thing! Add your favorite Indian spices in the sauce and use paneer and chicken tikka for your toppings for that Desi twist!
- Store the left over sauce in a glass jar in the fridge (up to 2-3 days)
- Store the left over dough in a zip lock bag and refrigerate up to 2 days. Note that it may still puff up while resting in the fridge, you just need to punch the dough and take all the air out.
- If you don't have time, you can easily buy the base and even the sauce from the market and do rest of the stuff yourself :)
Healthy Twist:
- You can make the base out of whole wheat flour (Just strain it well to avoid any lumps) Do not expect it to be as soft as the one with all purpose flour. But don't worry it will taste good and is so much healthier!
- Do not use butter, instead use olive oil.
- Reduce the amount of cheese to half and use healthier options like feta cheese, cottage cheese.
- Load your pizza with lots and lots of veggies and lean meats.
I made a round and a square one ! :) I kept the round one thick so that it turned out soft and the square one I flattened to make a thin crust pizza.
Cool
ReplyDelete