Hi I finally got round to making my own pizzas from scratch last night: Ingredients: 8oz of Allinsons strong white four 4oz of Semolina flour 1.25 teaspoons yiest half a tea-soon white sugar 175-200 ml warm water Method: I Dissolved the yiest and sugar in the water measured out the flour, then put in a bowl. I mixed the flour, then made a well in the middle, stirring in the warm water/yiest/sugar combo with a fork. Once mixed, I then floured up a board, and then tipped the dough out. I then needed the dough for 10-15 mins, folding it over on itself and re-flouring to prevent it sticking. I then divided the dough mix up into 2 parts, and rolled them out on a baking tray which had been floured. The resultant disc was about 8" - 10" across and about 7mm thick. Both bases were then drissled with Olive oil, then covered with cling film, and left to prove. I put mine into the over which I had warming to 50C. I turned off the over while the bases were in there to prevent them cooking. After about 50 mins ( I chopped the cheese/veg and made the pizza sauce at this point, then took the dog for a quick walk) I took the pizza bases out the over and then re-rolled them to the width of the baking tray - I believe this is called knocking back the dough...? Meanwhile I shoved the over on full (250C) to heat up for cooking. Once I'd knocked back the dough, I then dressed the pizzas. See below: and The first is ham, mozzarella, red/yellow peppers, olives (stuffed with halepino's), capers, Cheddar, Sliced tomatoes all sat on a spicy tomato base. The second is Mozzarella, peppers, cheddar, onion and ham - Wifie doesn't like capers, olives or Anchovies... and this is how they came out: and I was delighted with the results, and they ate well. The dog only got one slice donated from each Pizza, and there's a slice left for tnight when I get home, waiting for me I know they are no cheaper than buying them pre-made, but they taste an order of magnitude better when you make them yourself. Just thought I'd share the love....
those look very nice and you are correct in that home made pizza tastes so much better than any shop bought alternative. I made a pizza a couple of days ago, but instead of using bread dough as a base I used pastry. It actually turned out very nice, I will have to try it again.
It looks crap but tasted nomolisious, cheated with the base. 1 half chicken tikka masala, other half tuna, Bacon and peppers.
Woah they look absolutely gorgeous! im guessing the 50 minutes break in the warm oven was to give the dough a headstart to "prove" so you would get a more thicker bready pizza right? Just thinking if you were in a hurry and didn't have the time to spare and just cooked it straight off how it would end up... flatter / stodgier i guess? either way, great effort, looks delicious!
Used to make pizzas but not very regularly. They are indeed much nicer than shop bought ones and are quite a fun activity to do with a glass of wine or two...
I remember at school in "Food Technology" class being made to make pizza. It was several weeks of planning and designing, then after all that on the day we got to actually make it, I forgot to add the cheese. That class was a total waste of time, it taught us f all about how to cook with it's ridiculous over emphasis on design and hygene. I don't think I made anything worth taking back home and eating. Not that we actually made much, I only remember 2 practical lessons in 3 years.
Those lessons were resigned around the Thatcherite idea that the new generation did not need to learn how to cook, but be trained to work in the ready-made and fast-food business, where food design and factory production were the required skills, not cooking. 't Was the future, you know? Anyway, home-made pizza is king. My wife (the ex-chef) makes ours from scratch also --including the tomato sauce.
The tomato sauce always beats me. I can make it, sure, but can I make it tasty? Hell naw. I've followed a variety of recipes, from 5 minute celebrity chef ones to some random Italian person's grannies recipe from southern Italy that's been passed through the generations, and they all turn out "Meh".
As long as you give me a thin and crispy base, not some bread and dough crap, I'm good. And that why semolina/ durum flour cheesecake. And yes, those look great! But I won't have anything except a margherita.
Scone base for the win! Also if you cant be arsed with the base split a Ciabatta down the middle and use that. I'm on a gluten free diet so i cant even tough pizza : (
If you'd like a nice pan pizza, try this one - I find it nomlicious! - 500g white flour, typ 405 - ~ 250ml warm water - 1 package dry yeast - Salt - Sugar - 3 table spoons olive oil Mix the lot until you've got a non sticky mass. Let it rest for 2 hours. Knead it, roll it out - ready for covering. For the sauce: - 1 or 2 tubes of tomato purée - 1 or 2 eggs - Oregano Mix it - voila. Enjoy
That's because tomatoes these days taste like ****. Supermarket tomatoes are force-grown watery crap --especially when grown in Holland or the UK. The Spanish ones used to be OK if you got them early in the winter season (when they have had August sub to ripen in), but they caved in to similat force-growing methods and I haven't eaten a decent one since the 90's. You really have to grow your own or resort to cherry tomatoes as a backup.
Growing my own is out since I live in Scotland, so, cherry tomatoes work? I'm not such a great fan of tomatoes as a fruit so don't tend to eat them on their own (excepting of course, tomato basil and mozzarella salad, which all sane people adore).
I find a dose of muscavado sugar in my tomatos sauces works nicely. My favourite thing about homemade pizza is that you decide how much tomato sauce to put on. Too often nowadays with shop (which are better than Dominos et al imho) you get feck all tomato sauce and the pizza is just too dry. I like to load it with tomato sauce and then it means hardly any cheese (if any at all) is required to make an appetising and healthy delight.
Great thread! I used to make pizzas a while ago, I really should get back into it, they were great, here's an effort from 6 years ago, excuse the manky cooker... Chicken, peppers, onions, herbs, BBQ sauce and a disgusting amount of cheeses, it was immense!
