Sunday, February 3, 2013

Pizza with Home Made Base

My boys love pizza, and I have made it for them many times. I prefer making the base at home myself. Just realized that I have never posted it here. This time, i put the extra pizza dough in my cupcake tin, and made Cupcake Pizza...as the boys call it!! Unfortunately I did not get enough slices for good pictures because the boys gobbled them up very fast. The sauce used for the pizza can also be used for Pasta.
Ingredients for the Pizza Base:
Plain Flour (Maida): 2 cups
Yeast: 2 tsp
Sugar: 1 tsp
Salt: 1tsp
Olive Oil: 1 tbsp
Water: As needed

Method:
1. Add 2 tsp yeast in double its weight of warm (not boiling) water. Let it stand for 10 mins till the yeast dissolves.
2. Add the salt, sugar, and the yeast water to the flour.
3. Knead it to a soft dough using enough water until it is smooth and elastic. If the dough is too stick, add bit more flour.
4. Add the olive oil and knead again.
5. Cover the dough with cling wrap and let it sit till it doubles in volume. This should take around 20 to 30 minutes.
6. Press the dough lightly to remove the air.
7. Divide the dough in 2 parts.
8. Roll it out, and prick holes with a fork.
9 The dough is ready to be baked.

Ingredients for Pizza Sauce:
Tomatoes: 1 kg
Onion: 2
Garlic: 10 flakes
Capsicum: 1
Paneer (Crumbled)/Kheema: 200gms
Oregano (dry): as per taste
Rosemary (dry): as per taste
Salt: as per taste
Olive Oil: As needed
Tomato Sauce: as needed

Method:
1. Blanch the tomatoes. Skin them if needed. Puree them.
2. Mince the garlic and onion finely.
3. Cut one capsicum in small pieces.
4. In hot olive oil, saute the garlic for 2 mins. Add the onions.
5. When the onions turn translucent, add the tomato puree.
6. Cover and cook for 7 mins.
7. Add the kheema or paneer, and let it cook for 20 mins, covered and on a low flame.
8. When the kheema/paneer is nearly cooked and the tomatoes also seem cooked, add the salt, oregano and          
rosemary.
9. Let it cook for 5 mins more.

Preparing the Pizza:
Capsicum: 1
Onion:1
Cheese: as needed
1. Cut the capsicum and onions in thin stripes,
2. Spread tomato sauce on the pizza base.
3 .Next spread the pizza sauce on it and garnish it with the sliced onion and capsicum.
4.Top with as much cheese as preferred.
5. Bake it in the oven for 10 mins at 200 degrees.

The rest of the dough can be stored for later use, or can be put in a cupcake tin, with the sauce and cheese and baked for 10 mins. It is perfect for packing in tiffin boxes for kids.