How to make a simple homemade pizza?

Basic recipe of Pizza Dough / Pizza Base

Recipe from Australian Women’s Weekly (April 2010). This homemade pizza dough will make 4 small and 2 large bases.

Method

Combine 2 teaspoons ( 7 g) dried yeast, ½ teaspoon sugar and ¼ cup warm water (50 - 60 ml), and stand in a warm place for about 10 minutes or until frothy and well risen.

Sift 2 cups (one standard measuring cup of 250 ml / 8 oz capacity /approximately 500 g) bread flour or plain flour, and 1 teaspoon salt into a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Add 2 tablespoon olive oil and the yeast mixture into the well and mix to form a soft dough.

Knead the dough on a floured surface for about 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic.

Place the dough in a large oiled bowl, cover it with a damp cloth (dough and the wet cloth should not touch each other) and leave in a warm spot until it has doubled in size (approximately 1 – 1 1/2 hours).

Punch the dough down with your fist on a floured surface to remove the air, then knead it lightly. Divide it into balls and roll it out to the size you require for veg and non veg pizza.

Homemade pizza sauce

Makes – 75 – 85 ml

Ingredients

2 teaspoon cooking oil

2 cloves garlic, chopped

100 ml tomato puree

2 tablespoon tomato sauce

½ teaspoon sugar

½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)

½ teaspoon oregano

½ teaspoon pepper powder

Method

Heat oil in a pan. Add chopped garlic and fry on a medium heat for 1 minute. Add tomato puree, tomato sauce, sugar, salt to taste, oregano and pepper powder. Stir all the ingredients well and cook on a very low heat for 3 – 4 minutes until thickens. Switch off the heat and keep aside to cool for 15 – 20 minutes or until room temperature.

How to make a  simple Homemade Pizza?

Makes: 2 small pizzas

Ingredients

2 small  thick  pizza base (it’s readily available in the supermarkets / bakery..) or homemade pizza base

2 tablespoon pizza sauce (1 tablespoon each for small pizza and 2 tablespoon for big pizza base) 

Homemade or  Pizza sauce easily available in the markets (Maggi / American Garden..)

½ cup mozzarella cheese, finely grated  (Amul  / Nilgiris or any other leading brand)

2 tablespoon  thinly  sliced capsicum and onion (or 9 thin slices each) or any other vegetables of your choice or boiled chicken cubes / sausages / mushroom / paneer...

¼ teaspoon pepper powder

1 teaspoon oil (to grease baking tray)

Method

Grease a baking tray with  1 teaspoon oil.

Spread  the pizza sauce  (1 tablespoon) over the pizza base to within half an inch of the sides. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over it (2 – 3 tablespoon).

Decorate  with thin slices of capsicum and onion (or any other veg or non veg).  Sprinkle  ¼ teaspoon pepper powder. Add extra cheese if required.

Preheat oven (OTG) at 200 * C or 400 * F and bake for 10 minutes (one pizza at a time - or depending upon the size of the oven) until done / cheese melts / light golden color / fragrant. Remove from the oven an serve hot.

For Pizza Margherita:

Spread  4 teaspoon pizza sauce, sprinkle grated cheese generously over it, decorate with 4 thin roundels of tomato, sprinkle ¼ teaspoon pepper powder and bake for 10 minutes until done / cheese melts.