Pizza

Pin It Now!

My dad is one of the very few people I know who do not like pizza, and I'm having a hard time trying to understand why you would possibly not like it. Of course there are pizzas that I don't like that much either, for example I am not so keen on chicken on a pizza or all those weird ones you can get here in the UK that have donner meat on them. Generally though I see pizza as a great treat.



There's of course a difference between the pizza you buy in a restaurant or take away place and homemade pizza. I guess it mainly has to do with the temperature it's baked at, but I like either and if you have never made your own you just gotta try it. It's so much fun making your own dough and then topping it with all your favourite things.

One of my favourite toppings will seem strange to some of you US readers out there, as it is not a common topping in the US at all, but it's a different story in Germany and you can find it here in the UK and all other European countries I have ever had pizza in as well. It is tuna. Sounds strange to you? Trust me, it's good. Just try it!

This time, my friend C. helped me to make this pizza and in addition to a can of tuna we also added some strips of deli ham, mushrooms, peppers, red onion and plenty of cheese. Just like the Jambalaya, we finished every last crumb of it! The recipe for the dough and the sauce both make quite a lot, but they freeze well and it means that next time you can have your pizza ready in a jiffy, just gotta remember to take everything from the freezer to thaw.



Cheesy Pizza Crust

2 packages fast rising yeast
2 cups warm water
2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp salt
4 tbs olive oil
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
6 cups flour

Put the flour in a large bowl and make a well in the middle. Mix the warm water water, yeast, sugar, and salt and carefully pour into the well you made in the flour. Allow to sit until foam appears on the top.

Once the yeast is foaming, add the oil and start mixing everything together with your hands or you can use a food processor with a dough hook attachment.

Once it has all combined, turn it out onto a floured surface and kneed for about 5 minutes, incorporating the grated parmesan as you go along. You might need to add a little more flour to make the dough stop sticking. Do so 1tbsp at a time.

Transfer the dough to a large, oiled bowl and cover with a cean tea towel.

Place in a warm location and allow to rise for one hour or until doubled in size. (I always put some hot water in a sink and place the bowl on a rack over the top of it.)

Punch down dough, kneed for another few minutes, return to the bowl and allow to rise a second time.

After the second rise the dough is ready to be divided and rolled, or stored in the freezer.

Once you have rolled the dough out into the desired shape, top with your favourite toppings and bake in a preheated oven at 220C/Gas 7 for 12-15 minutes.


Pizza Sauce

200gr tomato puree (tomato paste)
70ml water
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1tbsp olive oil
1/4 tbsp lemon juice
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4tsp basil
1/8tsp thyme

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil.

Turn down the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes.

If your tomato puree is very acidic, add a little more sugar and water and simmer a little longer to thicken.