Pizza

[Clint]

Had a go last week...never tried before and wasn't quite sure of ingredients to buy as I decided when I was in the supermarket..
Do I bought strong bread flour, easy yeast and some mozzarella. I used pasatta with basil for the sauce..
Toppings...more cheese, mushrooms,peppers,onion, pepperoni..
Ok...not "expert" class but they turned out very good...I say very good as the Mrs and kids ate all they were given and have requested more for tonight! Which in itself is a success as they're a fussy lot!
I'm having curry..but intend to keep some dough back and turn it into garlic naan...oh yeah!!

 

[Wilfy]

Getting better at this.

 

[Obadiah Boondoggle]

The quality of the passata (Tomato sauce for you plebs out there) is important

Make you own - really easy

 

[Clint]

My lot have just smashed three...

 

[Wilfy]

The quality of the passata (Tomato sauce for you plebs out there) is important

Make you own - really easy

I’m using San marzano tomatoes for the sauce. Really good.

 

[Rodcx500z]

I’m using San marzano tomatoes for the sauce. Really good.

They are the best a liitle bit dearer, James Martin swears by them

 

[NormanHurst]

I really enjoy the challenge of pizza at home. Been a bit of a Lockdown project. I've discovered a local Italian wholesaler who also retails from their warehouse and sell "Neapolitan Pizza flour" (no idea what it actually is) and San Marzano toms amongst other goodies. Very good nduja too. Been working on dough recipes too and found one online that produces a lovely bubbly crust. Much fun.

 

[Clint]

We'll all I can say is we're all well impressed with my basic efforts tonight.
Youngest child says it's the best...

 

[Shirley Bassett]

Clint,

A friend of ours used to work in an independent pizza takeaway.

Her recipe is 450g of Allinson's strong bread flour, sifted, 1tsp of sugar, but I find that a bit sweet, so I use half, half a tsp of salt, 30ml of olive oil, about 200ml of warm water.

This is make 2 x 10 to 12 inch pizza.

Mix ingredients together in a bowl and nead in the bowl with one hand. Leaves other free to add more flour or water to get it to come together.

Once you've got a ball of dough nead it on a floured work top.

Push it away from you with the palm of your hand and then reform ball at the end of the push.

Don't over work it.

Then oil final ball and put back in bowl.

Cover and leave in a warm place for about 1 hour. It should roughly double in size. Don't leave it for too long. I.e. all day.

Knock out air of ball and divide into 2.

Roll base on a flat floured surface.

If you are making garlic bread then prick base all over with a fork. This allows butter to penetrate. Smear on garlic butter. Stop about 20mm from edge of the base. Top with cheese.

Cheese should be shop brought grated mozzerala and cheddar of the strength you like. 50/50 mix in a freezer bag full of air, which is shaken / rolled around to get it to mix.

If making tomato base pizza then DONT prick the base. It makes the pizza soggy.

Tomato base is good quality smooth passatta and dried oregano. 2 heaped tsps to a good glug. Mix in a bowl and then spoon on. Spread with back of spoon. Stop about 15mm from edge of base.

Sprinkle on mixed cheese and top to your flavour.

Mushrooms should be sliced thinly otherwise they make pizza soggy. It’s the water in them.

Peppers should be diced

Salami etc should be well spaced and quarter slices otherwise they make the pizza oily.

Trust me they are the best pizzas I've ever had. Haven't bought a shop pizza since I starting using this recipe.

If you are cooking them in a domestic oven at home.

We have an electric fan oven at 200C.

They take about 20mins.

We cook them on a pizza tray that has holes in. Couple of quid from the range.

Place tray on top shelf of oven.

Rotate pizza every 5 mins.

At 15 mins lift off tray and put directly onto oven shelf for last 5 mins. We use a tool that you may get fried eggs out of a pan. This crisps up the base.

Ive tried cooking at 180c, big mistake. Base was soggy.

Also at 200c but on pizza tray for entire 20mins. Base was soggy.

Enjoy

 

[Shirley Bassett]

I forgot to say you need a 7g sachet of dried yeast in initial mix.

 

[Clint]

Another go tonight...I prepped the dough a couple of hours ago and made a tomato sauce... couldn't get San marzano tomatos but got some other Italian cherry tomatoes which look great...bit of olive oil,garlic and oregano..smells superb!

 

[DavieC]

I made some dough yesterday afternoon but used different yeast, hardly altered in size while proving so something went wrong. Still stretched but a bit like chewing plywood after baking in oven at 240'c .

 

[Cheshire Cat]

I've started making a starter with the yeast leaving for 20-30 minutes then adding to the flour.

 

[Shirley Bassett]

If you use fresh yeast and add the salt on top of it, it kills the yeast. This maybe why you dough didn’t prove.

 

[DavieC]

I did wonder about that, I used dried yeast from a tin where I usually use yeast in a sachet but I usualy put the salt in the flour and mix it but this time I added salt to my warm water and then added the yeast and mixed together in the water.

 

[Alastair70]

New year, new plan. I still do the dough, but I make the kids set up the pizza station and it's strictly a stretch, top, load on the peel, launch and cook your own affair. Week 2 and they're getting the hang of things, here's todays efforts.
A bit more stretching on the peel before launching and they'll be golden. It was a mega-crust day today, I might have been a bit heavy handed with the sourdough starter yesterday when I made the dough.

 

[nicole20]

I have a Ooni pizza I watched tutorial videos online and I just followed some of their tips and I got the hang of it eventually

 

[Cheshire Cat]

Having read the above I'm going to make my favourite pizza tonight I.e. Quattro Stagioni. I’ve got 00 flour, mozzarella, pasata, artichokes, olives, anchovies and chorizo. Picture to follow later.