Do i know anyone who doesn't love pizza? May be some of our moms and dads back in India hehehe.....but our generation and children are always up for it, be it a quick lunch at office, when out with friends or at the movies. Pizza has always been a hot favorite.
What i love most about pizza is that they are so versatile. You can absolutely go crazy with the toppings and yet create something delicious. Have any leftover chicken kebabs, panner tikka (cottage cheese), or veggies?? Put them as toppings for your pizza and create your very own version.
I made a simple veggie white pizza (known as pizza bianca in italian; its a pizza that contains no sauce).
I could have easily bought a premade pizza base (which is available in all possible sizes and flavors) but naahhhh....that wouldn't have been fun at all. I have lots of patience so i prepared my own pizza base. And ya one more thing i dont have a pizza stone sooooooo i made mine on a baking sheet. Sounds crazy? Nope not at all it worked perfectly. Its just that instead of round you will get a square...no a rectangular pizza....hahaha :P
The recipe is nothing extra ordinary or out of this world but its worth a try since mine came out to be just as delicious as any take out pizza. I read, try and test a lot of recipes that are on blogs, websites and that is how i learn. So nope this is not my creation but the toppings were my idea :P
With this recipe you can make upto two 12inch x 8inch (i guess) pizza with a nice flat crispy base using a 15inch x 10 inch baking sheet. Sorry about the photos guys don't have all of them but posting few which i did happen to click.
Ingredients:
For the dough
3 1/2 cups of all purpose flour (maida)
1 envelope of dry yeast (7g or 1/4 oz)
1 1/3 cups of warm water
2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp of olive oil
For the toppings
2 cups of frozen cut broccoli, defrosted (you can also use fresh ones)
1 1/2 cups of frozen chopped spinach, defrosted (you can also use fresh ones)
2 cups of chopped button mushrooms
1 1/2 cups of chopped onion
1/2 cup of chopped jalepeno
2 cups of freshly grated mozzarella cheese
2 small cloves of garlic
1 tbsp of olive oil
Salt & pepper for seasoning
Oregano & Chili flakes for garnishing
1) In a bowl dissolve dry yeast with the warm water and set it aside for about 5- 10 mins. You will notice a frothy creamy layer forming on the top. That is what we are looking for. Make sure the water is warm and not hot before adding the yeast else they will die.
2) In another large bowl mix in the salt, sugar, olive oil with the flour. To this mixture add the yeast
(make sure to stir the yeast in the water before adding it to the flour) and knead. Yes i did this by hand. If you have a electric stand mixer please feel free to use it with the dough attachment. Mix or knead until everything is nicely combined. Brush the top of the dough with some olive oil and cover the bowl with a plastic wrap or a wet cloth. Put the bowl in a warm place or inside the oven (turned off).
The dough requires time for proofing. So keep the dough in a warm place for an hour.
4) Preheat your oven to 475 F. After an hour, remove the pizza dough from the bowl and divide it into two equal parts. Take one part of the dough and start to spread it on the baking sheet with the help of a rolling pin or by your hand.
5) Poke holes all over on top of the dough with a fork if you don't want the base to rise too much and want it to be more flat and crispier.
6) Next generously brush the top of the dough with the garlic oil. This will give the pizza base a nice garlic flavor.
7) Now comes the easy part. Spread all the toppings starting with the jalepenos, onions and veggies. Add salt and pepper on top for seasoning. Finish off with lots of cheese.
8) Bake the pizza for 15-20 mins or until the cheese on top becomes light golden in color. Garnish with oregano and chili flakes. Repeat the same with the second pizza maybe with different toppings. Happy cooking. Enjoy.