Friday Food - B's Pizza {I can't believe I am sharing this one!}

We have reached a point in our lives where making pizza when friends come for dinner is now socially acceptable. Most of our friends have children and I only know of one child {mine} who does not like to eat it. It is a very social thing to share slices of pizza and chat away the evening with friends, add some wine too, of course.

I have been really been taking my pizza making seriously this year {I know, it is a little sad}. I have finally perfected the dough. The toppings. The cheese and have invested in some 'pizza stones'. And I am now about to reveal how to make fabulous-better-than-a-pizzeria pizzas.

I make my pizza dough in a breadmaker. The dough is beautiful and soft and so easy to work with. I do love working with bread doughs! If you don't have a bread maker, you could use this recipe... Click. Give yourself enough time though - bread dough needs to rise and be knocked back etc.


I like to use bottled pasta sauce instead of store bought 'Pizza Sauce' or tomato paste. I find that they are too dry and too... sticky. Pasta sauce keeps the pizza moist without overpowering it with that intense paste taste. I also think that tomato paste is best used in sauces where it can cook out a bit. You could make your own tomato sauce with sauteed this and that - but I usually make pizza as a relaxed easy to put together meal, so a night with no saucepans is the aim.


As for toppings, you can go crazy, add anything that takes your fancy. But... less is more. Don't overload your pizza. Just add a few of a few things - if that makes sense!? Choose really good ingredients but don't be tempted to copy the Dominoes menu - go for something unique to you. 

B's Pizza

Pizza Dough
Prep Time: 2 minutes
'Cooking' Time: Dough: 1 1/2 hours {in my bread maker} Pizza: approx 15-20 minutes
Serves: Makes enough for 4 X 25cm pizzas 
This makes 32 slices - enough for four greedy hungry adults and a couple of kids


Ingredients
300ml of water
50 ml of olive oil
1 1/2 tsp salt
4 cups of bread flour {plain flour is fine}
2 1/2 tsp yeast


Method


1. Put all the ingredients into your breadmaker IN THE ORDER LISTED ABOVE.

2. Turn your bread maker on to the 'Dough' setting.
3. After about 1/2 an hour check on the dough. If it is all sloppy, add a few more spoons of flour. If there is still dry flour, add a smidgen more water. If you have had to make adjustments, check on the dough again in 10 mins. It should be a nice neat ball of dough.

The Toppings

Must Haves...

Pasta Sauce 

Masterfoods Pizza Topper

Cheese

B's Favourite

Bocconcini

Mushrooms

Tomato

Salami

Method


1. When your dough is about 10 minutes from being finished, put your 'pizza stones' into the oven and turn it on to 220 degrees Celcius.

2. Cut up and prep all of your ingredients.

3. When the dough is ready, give it a quick roll on a floured board and divide it into four.

4. Roll out the dough or use your hands to stretch it out. If you are feeling brave, you can toss it in the air! 

5. Make 4 cartouches - these are circles of non-stick paper - saves so much time washing up!


a) Tear off a piece of baking paper about the size of your pizza stone 

b) Fold it into four

c) Hold the point and fold two more times

d) Hold this triangle over your pizza dough with the point in the centre - cut the paper to be a little bit bigger than this.

6. Put the rolled out/stretched dough onto a cartouche. 
7. Spread the base with pasta sauce and sprinkle with pizza topper.

8. Arrange your ingredients on the pizza base 
- If you are using grated cheese, put it on first - I know this goes against convention, but my friend Shelley does this and it does mean that the topping is stuck to the pizza by the cheese and it doesn't tend to all come off with the first bite. 
- If you are using bocconcini, put it on last.Slide the uncooked pizza onto a board {if you have one of those fancy pizza spatulas use this, I use a retro piece of laminate that my family squabble over for a birthday cake board}.

9. Take a pizza stone out of the oven, slide your pizza onto it and put the pizza straight back in the oven - do this efficiently - you don't want to lose that precious heat in your pizza stone or the oven.

10. Turn the oven down to 180 degrees Celcius.

11. The pizza is cooked when the base is crisp and the cheese is golden.
12. Enjoy with a crisp salad, good wine {or beer} and great friends.

Variations...

Thin Base - roll dough out to the 25cm.
Thick Base - roll dough out to 20-23cm - allow a few more minutes of cooking time.


Pizza Stones - you can get these at a cooking store for around $25 each. I bought my terracotta saucers from a plant pot supplier in town and both cost me under $20. You could get some cute small ones too - for the kiddies - how cute!
- you don't NEED to use 'pizza stones', but we think that they help to make the base nice and crispy. 


Oh - I could take all day talking about variations for pizza... Use your imagination and go nuts.

Other things you might like to use on your marvellous pizza creations...

Mozzerella 

Feta

Ricotta
Blue Cheese


Ham
Bacon
Prosciutto
Anchovies

Capsicum

Onion {caramelised is fabulous!}

Roasted pumpkin

Tomato {roasted cherry tomatoes are great}

Finely sliced potato

Olives

Pineapple

Eggs

Oregano

Basil

Rosemary

Chilli

Garlic
Rocket {sprinkle over after cooking}

Some combinations you could try:

Roasted Vegetarian: Roasted tomatoes, pumpkin, zucchini with semi-dried tomatoes, basil and feta cheese


Supremo: Mozzarella, salami, ham, pineapple, onion, red capsicum and mushrooms


Hot Mama: Mozzarella, salami, red onion, mushroom, olives and  chilli {you could mix it in with the pasta sauce}


Friday Night Love: Bocconcini, salami, olives, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes and fresh oregano

Mediterranean: Feta, finely sliced potato, caramelised onion and  rosemary {My lovely cousin Melissa told me about this combo, I can't wait to try it!}

Dessert: {my party is out about this... but go with me} Put the ingredients on the pizza in the order listed: brown sugar, banana, nutmeg {is much nicer than cinnamon in my opinion} blobs of ricotta and a sprinkle of a bit more brown sugar