Making Pizza at Home- An Easy Recipe

This pizza recipe delivers for those wanting a fresh, crunchy base, with the extra bonus of being much lower in fat than the takeaway versions. Pizza at home means that you can alter the base thickness to suit your preference and top with anything of your choice- or see the serving suggestions below for some inspiration?

You will need:

To make 2 large, thin base pizzas

• 250g plain flour
• 250g strong white flour
• 1/2-1 tsp of salt
• 1 tsp of dried instant yeast
• 1/2 tbsp of olive oil (plus a little to oil the trays

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 250 c/ gas mark 9. In a mixing bowl (electric or hand), mix the dry ingredients then add the oil. Add enough warm water to make a rough dough, this will be about 250-275ml. The dough may be a little sticky but more flour will be added during rolling so don’t worry.

2. Knead the dough in the mixer, or by hand on a floured surface for about 10 minutes until it is smooth and stretchy. Then put in in an oiled bowl and cover with cling film – putting it somewhere warm (like the airing cupboard) for an hour or more.

3. When you return to your dough you will see that it has risen considerably! Knock the dough back and split it into the number of pizzas you want to make (2 very large ones or 4 smaller).

Roll and stretch the dough to the size/ thickness (bear in mind it will rise slightly) you want (tip-stretching rather than rolling keeps more air in the dough but is more tricky). Put the base on an oiled tray or pizza stone (a final chance to stretch it a little more) and have fun topping them!

4. With a can of good quality plum tomatoes, blend to a smooth topping, or for more texture, hand blend. Spread over your base(s). There is no need to add anything to your tomato sauce. You are now ready to dress your bases…

so for the toppings!

• Note: Make any of these vegan friendly by using a cheese alternative or by skipping the cheese
• cooking times here are for a large pizza. Reduce time or monitor smaller pizzas, cooking until they are crisp and golden

Mushroom, spinach and egg?

Pan cook your mushrooms with pepper and garlic. Blanch the spinach by pouring boiling water over it then squeezing the water out of it (when cooled). Arrange your toppings and add some torn mozzarella and grated mature cheddar (I used reduced fat here), cook for 8 minutes in the preheated oven. After 8 minutes, remove the pizza and crack an egg in the centre. Return to the oven for another 3-4 minutes.

Red pepper, courgette and basil?

Oven roast, or griddle your courgettes an peppers in wedges. Cut and arrange on the pizza base. Add some torn mozzarella and grated mature cheddar (I used reduced fat here), and cook in the pre-heated oven for 10-12 minutes. Take out of the oven and add the torn basil leaves.

Kale, Goats Cheese, Walnut and Honey?

This is a pizza not needing the tomato base so add the ingredients straight on to the dough. Prepare the kale by removing any stalks and blanching in boiling water. When cooled, squeeze excess water out and lightly salt. Arrange over the base with the walnut pieces and goats cheese. Cook for 10-12 minutes in the pre-heated oven. Remove from the oven and drizzle with honey.

This is delicious with or without the honey sweetness so exclude honey and use a cheese substitute to make this vegan friendly- or try an alternative sweetener such as maple syrup.

Enjoying pizza at home:

This recipe can be altered to suit the size, amount and topping preferences of your audience. Get the family involved with pizza at home, get creative and try some of your own delicious toppings. You can also make the base with wholemeal flour for extra texture and taste. Pair your pizza with a tasty glass of wine and serve with a crisp salad. If you are more of a pizza and chips type of eater, how about this delicious homemade oven chips recipe with truffled parmesan cheese?

We hope that you enjoy our step by step pizza recipe!

More of our eating in recipes here.

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