Tasty Tuesday: Home made pizza

I love home made pizza - it is so much better than home delivered (well the standard ones anyway) and plus - I know that only I have been touching the ingredients.  It seem a bit gross to me that someone with questionable hygiene may have been sprinkling cheese on my pizza - I know they are supposed to wear gloves but a 14 year old boy who doesn't like cleaning anything isn't going to remember to put on gloves each time.

I have tried several pizza base recipes over the years including Giada's and Jamie's but I have found Delia Smith's to be the best - I always get a consistent result.

Plus you can make it thin or crispy - it freezes well and is easy to double/quadruple and I always have all the ingredients.  Here is the recipe I use - though searching on her website there are a few different ones.  I came across this recipe in the most wonderful vegetarian cookbook: Delia's Vegetarian Collection.  There are recipes in here that get requested every Christmas - by people who eat meat and other vegetarians.






So here are the quantities and method that I use:

Ingredients

350g plain flour
2 tsp salt
2 tsp dried yeast
1 tsp sugar
2 tblsp olive oil
200mL water


 This makes 2 pizza bases - my husband will eat a whole pizza and I try to only eat half but in truth I could eat a whole one.

 Method

1.  Put all the dry ingredients in a bowl/mixer bowl (I use a mixer similar to a KitchenAid with the dough hook) and mix so they are combined.




2.   Add the olive oil and mix again.




3.  With the mixer on very slow add the 3/4 of the water.  Add the rest of the water if you dough is not coming together.




4. When the dough has formed a clump - remove it from the bowl and kneed on a lightly floured surface for three minutes.




5. Place in a oiled bowl/bag to rise for 1 hour.*




6. Sprinkle a surface lightly with polenta and roll/stretch out your dough.  Sprinkle a baking tray with polenta and place the dough on top - then add your toppings.




*If I am freezing half the dough I put it into a freezer bag and then straight into the freezer.  I find when you thaw it out - it has doubled in size.

Toppings

I thought that I would list out some of our favourite toppings - usually it is whatever we have leftover in the fridge.

For example the pizza on the left has:

• Roast pumpkin and BBQ sauce mashed together for the pizza sauce.
  
  • Feta
    
    • Olives
      
      • Sun dried tomatoes
        
        • Baba ganoush
          
          • Cheddar Cheese
            
            • Flavoured olive oil sprinkled on top.
            • Ham - for a vegetarian I would just leave it off.

I have linked this at:



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