Home Made Pizza

                              

Whether a child or an adult, its equally loved by all. The crunchy base with gooey cheese topping and crunchy vegetables makes a wonderfully amazing combination. Pizza is such a versatile food when it comes to toppings. You can meats, vegetables, cheeses, herbs, fruits etc. Possibilities are just endless and it all is your imagination. A lot of people are scared of either making the pizza dough at home or sauce. Making dough can be very intimidating for many people. Trust me if you make it once at home, you would never buy pizza from outside as nothing beats the freshness and the love you put in your food. 

My monkeys are very enthusiastic about making their own custom pizzas. I would prepare every thing for them and they roll the dough and put the toppings of their choice. ( I have been successfully feeding them many vegetables like mushrooms and olives in this disguise) You need four things for making your pizza. the dough, pizza sauce, cheese and toppings. Here is how I make my pizza from scratch:

Pizza Sauce Ingredients

Olive oil                                       2 tbsp
Onion                                          1/2 cup chopped
Garlic                                          3 cloves minced
Tomato paste                              1 can
Tomatoes                                    6 large skin removed and chopped
Oregano                                     1 tbsp
Salt                                             2 tsp
Black pepper                              3/4 tsp
Red chili flakes                            1 tsp (optional)

Method

1. In a large sauce pan, heat olive oil on medium heat and add onions, fry till translucent.
2. Add garlic and saute for another minute.
3. Pour the whole can of tomato paste and fry for a couple of minutes to freshen up the flavors.
4. Add the tomatoes, salt, black pepper, oregano and red chili flakes.
5. Let it come to a boil and slow down the heat to a simmer, partially cover and let cook for 35-40 mins till thick.
6. You can blend it if you like your sauce to be smooth or leave it chunky for a rustic feel.

Pizza Dough Ingredients

Water                                  2-3 cups
Flour                                   3 cups
Flour                                   2 cups
Olive oil                              1/4 cup
Yeast                                  3 tsp
Salt                                     1 tsp
Sugar                                  1 tsp

Method

1. In 2 1/2 cups of warm water, stir in sugar and yeast. Let it sit for 15 mins until frothy.
2. Add olive oil to the mixture after it is frothy.
3. Mix 3 cups of flour and salt in a large bowl.
4. Add in the yeast mix and stir with a wooden spoon or your hands. Let rest for another 10 mins.
5. Pour the flour out on a well floured surface. (use flour from remaining two cups)
6. Start kneading and adding flour until the dough is smooth and elastic around 12 mins. (You many not need all two cups of flour)
7. In a large bowl put one table spoon of oil and put the dough ball in, rub oil all over the dough, cover the bowl with a wet cloth or plastic film and let it sit until it doubles in size around 2-3 hours.
8. Punch the air out of the dough and make 6 balls. Cover the balls and let rest until they double in size, it may take from 35-50 mins depending on your room temp. 

Assembling the pizza

1. Preheat the oven at 450 for 30 minutes.
2. Take one dough ball and roll it to half an inch thick. This thickness will result in a medium thick crust. Spread some corn meal or semolina on your pizza pan and transfer the crust to it.
3. Spread 4-5 tbsp of  pizza sauce, followed by thin layer of mozzarella cheese. Add any topping of your choice like meat, vegetables, cheeses, herbs etc.
4. Put mozzarella/provolone cheese on top. Do not overload the pizza or else it wont be crispy.
5. Bake in the preheated oven at 450 until golden brown on the edges and cheese is bubbling around 12-15 minutes. Wait for one minute after taking out of the oven before you slice it.

Toppings

Olives
Peppers
Red Onion
Green chilies
Tomatoes
Mushrooms
Hot pickled peppers
Broccoli

Anchovies

Chicken

Pepperoni

Beef strips

Chicken Tikka

Spinach
Provolone Cheese
Mozzarella cheese