MAKE PIZZA AT HOME WITHIN 60 MINUTES

How to make Pizza at home

• Prep time: 60 min
• Cook time: 15 min
• Serves: 4

Main Ingredients of pizza:

1. flour
2. tomato
3. cheese

Ingredients

• For Pizza base:
• Plain flour - 2 1/2 cups (maida)
• Instant dry yeast - 2 tsps
• Olive oil - 1 1/2 tbsps
• Honey - 1 tsp (or 1/2 tsp sugar)
• Salt - 3/4 tsp
• Italian seasoning - 1/2 tbsp OR any dried herbs of your choice like oregano, rosemary or basil (optional)
• Water - 1 cup, luke warm
• Cornmeal or Semolina - few tbsps
• For Pizza sauce:
• Onion - 1, medium, finely chopped
• Garlic - 3 cloves, finely minced
• Tomatoes - 2, ripe and large, finely chopped
• Tomato puree - 2 tbsps
• Black pepper powder - 1/4 tsp
• Red pepper flakes - large pinch
• Sugar - 1/2 tsp
• Dried oregano - 1/2 tsp
• Dried basil - 1/4 tsp or fresh basil - few leaves
• Salt to taste
• Toppings:
• Bell peppers - 1, large, finely sliced
• Fresh basil leaves - few (optional)
• Mozarella cheese - 1 cup, grated
• Parmesan cheese - 4 tbsps (optional)

Method

1. Preheat oven at 220 C for 30 mts.
2. In a large wide bowl, add the maida/flour, salt, dried herbs, sugar or honey, yeast and olive oil and mix to combine. Slowly add the warm water and make a dough. If the dough is dry, add a little more water and knead gently for 5-6 mts into a smooth firm dough. Grease the bowl with olive oil and place the dough in the bowl, cover with cling film and set aside in a warm place for 15 mts.
3. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 2 equal portions. Cover them with plastic wrap and allow to rest for another 5 mts. This step helps you to roll out a round shape with the right amount of elasticity for rolling.
4. Lightly grease the back side of cookie sheet (place a cookie sheet upside down) with oil and sprinkle cornmeal or semolina liberally (this will give a good crunch to the base as well ease the removal of the pizza from the cookie sheet without sticking)
5. Place a ball of dough on the cookie sheet and spread it out into a flat disk using your hands. After flattening it to a circle, roll the base as thin as possible using your rolling pin. Ensure that the base is evenly spread out and the edges are slightly thick as shown in the image above.
6. Brush the rim of the pizza base with olive oil, spread 2 heaped tbsps of the pizza sauce evenly all over. Sprinkle the grated mozarella cheese liberally all over.
7. Add any toppings of your choice like tomato slices or bell pepper juliennes, caramelized onions, grilled paneer or chicken and fresh basil leaves. The choice is endless. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese if using.
8. Slide the cookie sheet onto the lower rack of your oven and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the cheese turns golden brown and the pizza base browns along the edges. Allow to rest for 3-4 minutes before slicing. (check from 12 mts on wards - oven heat varies from oven to oven)
9. To prepare Pizza Sauce: In a heavy bottomed vessel, add olive oil and heat on medium flame. Add the minced garlic and saute for a mt. Add the dried oregano and dried basil and mix. Add onions and saute for 5 mts. Add the chopped tomatoes and saute for 3 mts on high. Reduce flame and simmer for 20 mts without lid.
10. Add tomato puree, pepper powder, red chili flakes and salt and mix. Continue to simmer till it becomes a sauce like consistency.
11. Turn off flame and cool. You can blend to a coarse paste at this stage or use the cooked sauce right away. If using fresh oregano or basil, add it towards the end of the cooking process.

Tips and tricks

• The pizza dough recipe makes two 12" pizzas.
• You can place the pizza stone and follow the recipe. Since I do not have a pizza stone, I used the back of a cookie sheet.
• You can add finely minced garlic to the dough while kneading. 2-3 cloves of garlic will do for the above recipe.
• After the dough has rested (in step 2 above), you can place the dough in a ziplock bag and refrigerate upto 5-6 days and use the dough when required by following the rest of the recipe.
• Another option is to pre-bake just the pizza base for 5 mts and remove from oven, place the toppings and cheese and bake it again for 7-8 mts till the cheese turns golden brown.
• You can shape the dough into a rectangle shape also.

• The toppings are endless. Few options are caramelized onions, grilled chicken or grilled paneer, pineapple pieces and tomato slices.
• You can freeze the pizza dough for weeks in your freezer. When you want to make pizza, defrost the pizza dough in the refrigerator overnight. Next day, place it in a greased bowl and bring it to room temperature and let it rest for half an hour in a warm place in your kitchen. Follow the rest of the above recipe from Step 4.
• Remember to bake your pizza on the lowest rack that is closest to the heating element.

thanks for reading my article i hope u will make it and will serve with your family friends and guests.for more visit www.healthnlife.blogspot.com