Pizza! Even the word makes us drool, doesn't it? As soon as we hear the word, a mouth watering image of melted mozzarella cheese on a crispy flatbread pops up in our head! Whether you like veggies or pepperoni or even pineapple or just cheese, one thing is common- everyone loves pizza!
So I'm putting down a delectable recipe of everyone's favorite food that you can easily make at home! And this recipe has only whole wheat flour, so it's also a healthy variant, as if we need any motivation to cook & eat pizza! For those of you who prefer thin crust pizza, this recipe is it! This has been tried and tested and if you correctly follow it, you are unlikely to go wrong!
With regards to the pizza sauce, I've previously experimented with several recipes and ingredients, and finally arrived at a perfect one. This sauce is a blend of appetizing flavors of ripe tomatoes, onions and herbs. You can make large quantities of this sauce when tomatoes are in season and freeze it in an air-tight container. Nothing beats home made pizza sauce with fresh ingredients! You can also dilute this sauce with some fresh cream and toss some pasta into it. And voila! An amazing pasta will be ready in minutes.
But before we get to the recipe I'd like to share some tips so that you arrive at the perfect pizza at the end:
1. To get a good dough, make sure the yeast is not too old
2. When you keep the dough aside for an hour, keep it in a warm place like an oven (humidity and warm temperature work best with yeast). Proper fermentation is the key to a good pizza
3. Knocking the dough removes all the uneven air bubbles. This helps in uniform rising of the bread which gives it a better texture
4. You can skip baking the pizza bases separately and bake them along with the toppings. However, in smaller ovens, the cheese and veggies get cooked before the pizza base and so it is advisable that you bake your base before putting the pizza together
5. You can also prepare the pizza base and sauce in advance and use them when required. Pizza base can last up to 2 days in the refrigerator and pizza sauce can last in the freezer for months
2. When you keep the dough aside for an hour, keep it in a warm place like an oven (humidity and warm temperature work best with yeast). Proper fermentation is the key to a good pizza
3. Knocking the dough removes all the uneven air bubbles. This helps in uniform rising of the bread which gives it a better texture
4. You can skip baking the pizza bases separately and bake them along with the toppings. However, in smaller ovens, the cheese and veggies get cooked before the pizza base and so it is advisable that you bake your base before putting the pizza together
5. You can also prepare the pizza base and sauce in advance and use them when required. Pizza base can last up to 2 days in the refrigerator and pizza sauce can last in the freezer for months
6. Make sure to add cheese on top of the veggies and not the other way round. This way the veggies will get cooked properly
7. Pizzas in restaurants are usually made in large ovens which are super hot, usually around 320°C. So what you can do is pre-heat the oven at 240°C for about 15 minutes with the baking pan inside. Place your pizza on this pan and bake for 12-15 minutes (or until you are satisfied with the state of your cheese!)
8. Self-raising flour is not recommended for pizza bases. It's supposed to be used for cakes, cookies or pancakes. You may use all purpose flour or whole wheat flour or a combination of both
9. You may add more veggies or herbs (fresh or dried) to the pizza
9. You may add more veggies or herbs (fresh or dried) to the pizza
And now, without any delay, let's get baking!
Ingredients
Ingredients
Pizza Base (Makes 3 7" bases)
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp lukewarm water
Salt to taste
Whole wheat flour for rolling
Water for kneading
Damp cloth, muslin preferred
Pizza Sauce (For 3 7" Pizzas)
6 large tomatoes
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp finely chopped garlic
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp paprika/chilli flakes
salt to taste
1/2 tsp sugar
1.5 cups water for boiling
2 tbsp ketchup
1 tsp chilli powder
Pizza Toppings
2 onions, diced (optional, since pizza sauce also includes onions)
2 capsicums, diced
10-12 pitted black olives
1 cup sweet corns
1/2 cup mushrooms
50 gm grated mozzarella cheese or pizza cheese
Olive oil for greasing
Butter for greasing
Method:
Making the Pizza Base
1. Combine 2 tbsp lukewarm water with sugar and yeast in a small bowl and mix well. Cover with lid and keep aside for 5 minutes. It should get bubbly or frothy. If it doesn't, then throw this mixture and restart
2. Combine the whole wheat flour, yeast mixture, olive oil and salt in a deep bowl. Knead into a soft dough using enough water. The dough might be a little sticky to begin with but keep kneading and it'll become smooth
3. Cover the dough with a damp muslin cloth and keep aside for 1 hour. The dough may or may not double in size depending on the climatic conditions. In cold temperatures, you can keep the dough in pre-heated oven at 45°C
4. Remove the cloth after an hour and press the dough slightly to remove the air
5. Divide the dough into 3 equal portions
6. Dust some flour on the platform and use a rolling pin to make pizza bases from the dough balls
7. Prick each pizza base with a fork and transfer onto the parchment paper.
8. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180°C
Making the pizza sauce
1. Make criss-cross at the base of the tomatoes and place them in boiling water for 2-3 minutes or till the skin starts to peel
2. Drain the tomatoes, cool slightly, peel, deseed and roughly chop them. Blend the tomatoes to a smooth mixture and keep aside
3. Heat olive oil in a pan, add garlic and saute on a medium flame for a couple of seconds
4. Add the onions and saute till they turn translucent
5. Add the prepared tomato pulp, oregano, chilli flakes, ketchup, chilli powder and salt. Mix well, cook on a medium flame for 2-3 minutes
6. Add the sugar and cook on medium flame for 1-2 minutes and your pizza sauce is ready!
Making the pizza
1. Pre-heat the oven at 240°C for 15 minutes. Keep the pan which you intend to bake the pizza on inside the oven
2. Mix olive oil and butter in a small bowl
3. Keep the prepared pizza base on a platform and spread the prepared oil-butter mixture on it. This makes the base soft and it absorbs the sauce better
4. Spread the pizza sauce on the base and top with chopped veggies
5. Spread the grated cheese generously on the pizza. Now, pull out the pan from the oven and transfer the pizza on to it
6. Bake it in the oven for 10-15 minutes or till the cheese turns golden brown
7. Serve hot & enjoy!
Do let me know how your pizza turned out :) Also, do share your pizza pictures with on instagram, my handle is @thevegfooodie
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