Vineet and I were in a mood to celebrate my blogs first birthday. Pimm's & Lemonade was on the menu, but we were wondering what one-dish meal it could be paired with, that would allow us to enjoy some much needed downtime at the end of a long week.
It's been a while since I had done any Bread-related baking, and I have been itching to make thin-crust Pizza at home, since there are few places (all very expensive) that make this just like I like it.... crisp crust, smokey flavours and not drowning in a pool of melted cheese... So the decision was made...
Home made Pizza sure might sound like a lot of work... But if I told you, that my
active time in the Kitchen was about 40 mins TOTAL - which included making the pizza base and sauce - you will probably find that hard to believe.
Before I get on with the actual recipe... the total time for this pizza is about 2-1/2 hours... of which 1 hour 20 mins is spent watching TV or playing Poker... I promise :) Here's how;
Ingredients | Pizza Base:
- 1/2 cup Whole Wheat flour
(atta)
- 1/3 cup All-purpose flour
(maida)
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/3 cup + 2 tbsp Warm water
(not hot!)
- 1/4 tsp white Sugar
- 1 tsp Active Dried Yeast
- 1 tsp Olive Oil
Ingredients | Pizza Sauce:
- 5-6 large large cloves, Garlic (with peel)
- 2 medium Onions, cut in half and thickly sliced
- 2 tsp extra-virgin Olive oil
- 1/2 cup Sundried Tomatoes in oil
- Salt, if needed, as per taste
Ingredients | Pizza Toppings:
- 1 medium Red Capsicum,
sliced
- 1 medium Yellow Capsicum,
sliced
- 1 cup pitted Kalamata Olives,
sliced into rounds
- 10-12 Basil leaves,
chopped
- 1 cup Mozzarella cheese, grated
- 1/2 cup Feta Cheese, crumbled
STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE THE PIZZA
1.) Measure out the Flours in a clean dry Glass bowl/ non-metallic bowl. Stir in the Salt and set aside...
(Yeast reacts badly with metal surfaces...so, no metal spoons for measuring either!)
2.) Dissolve the sugar in the warm water. Add the yeast into the water and set aside for 10 minutes. At the end of 10 mins, the yeast will have expanded and look frothy... at this point. Add the olive oil into the yeasted water. *PREHEAT OVEN TO 180 deg C at this point*.
( BTW.. If the water is too hot it will 'kill' the yeast.. so make sure its temperature is something you can easily dip a finger into)
3.) Make a well in the flour, and slowly pour the yeast-water-oil mixture into it. Start mixing gently using your hands. The dough begins to pull-away from the sides of the bowl. Transfer to a lightly floured, non-metallic surface and knead for about 8-10 mins till a soft pliable dough forms.
4.) Place the kneaded dough back in the bowl and cover with a clean cotton cloth. Set aside in a warm place for the next 45 mins. Get on with the prep for the Sauce.
5.) Chop off the ends of the garlic, leave on the peels. Arrange the garlic cloves and sliced onions on a baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil. Put baking sheet in the pre-heated Oven, and bake for 45 minutes, till nicely charred --- as shown in the photo :)
Now go watch TV for the next 45 mins :)
6.) Uncover the rested dough. By this time, it will appear to have doubled in size as it is filled with air. Do not deflate it, but gently divide the dough into 2 parts. Cover and rest again for about
30 mins.
7.) While "dough-rising" Stage-2 is on - Peel the roasted garlic and place in a mixer/food processor along with the roasted onions. Add the sun-dried tomatoes along with their oil and pulse in short bursts till a thick paste is formed. Set aside.
Take a break for the next 25 minutes, till the dough finishes its 30 mins.
(See! I told you this needs very little active kitchen time!)
8.) Once again, Pre-heat the Oven to 180 deg C. While the oven heats, gently pick up one of the 2 dough balls, and roll lightly in your hands. Place on a floured surface and Roll out into a 1/4" thick circle.
(This dough is sticky, so keep dusting it with flour as you roll it out)
Place on a baking tray and bake in pre-heated oven for about 7 mins.
While the base is baking, slice up the veggies for your toppings. Baking the base prior to toppings ensures that it cooks evenly and prevents it from becoming soggy with the toppings.
9.) Cool the pre-baked pizza base slightly. Spread half of the pizza sauce (this is a thick paste-like sauce) on the base. Arrange half the quantity of the sliced red and Yellow capsicums, radially, to cover the entire pizza. Dot the pizza with half of the chopped olives and sprinkle chopped Basil leaves.
Cover the entire pizza with the grated mozzarella and crumble half of the Feta cheese over the pizza.
Bake @ 180 deg C for 12-15 minutes. Remove from oven on baking and repeat steps 8 & 9 for second pizza.
Rest the fully baked pizza on a wire rack for a few minutes after removing it from the oven to cool slightly... One shall exercise patience and keep oneself from pouncing on the hot pizza, else one shall experience a stinging mouth burn from melted mozzarella if one is being greedy :(
Cut up into slices and Eat up! :)
