Homemade Pizza

Serves 2 medium size pizzas

Ingredients:

For Base:

• All Purpose Flour / Maida - 1 3/4 cups

• Olive Oil - 2 tbsp 

• Sugar - 1/2 tsp

• Salt - 1 tsp

• Dry Yeast - 1/2 to 3/4 tsp 

• Lukewarm Water - 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp (or 0.625 cup or 10 tbsp)

For Sauce:

• Ripe Tomato - 1 small

• Olive Oil - 1 tbsp

• Salt to taste

• Sugar - 1 pinch

• Kashmiri Red Chilly Powder - 1 tsp

• Italian Seasoning - 1 tsp

• Chilly Flakes - 1 tsp

• Tomato Ketchup - 1 to 2 tbsp

For Toppings:

• Bell Peppers 

• Tomato

• Red Onions

• Paneer

• Parmesan Cheese

• Low moisture Whole Milk Mozzarella Cheese 

• Red Chilly Flakes

• Italian Seasoning

• Olive Oil to brush

Method:

• Take lukewarm water in a bowl. Add yeast and sugar. Mix well and keep aside covered for 5-10mins. If the yeast is active, it will froth and bubbles will appear on the surface of the water. If the yeast is dead, there will not be any change in water. Use only if the yeast is active.   

Dead yeast

Active Yeast

• Add salt to maida in a mixing bowl and mix well to combine. Add olive oil and all of the activated yeast water to the maida and mix well with a spatula. When everything is combined well, sprinkle some dry maida on to a clean working surface and transfer the sticky dough to the surface and knead for at-least 10 minutes. (The final stage of dough required should spring back on pressing the dough with a finger). Alternatively, you can add maida, salt, oil and water mix in a food processor and knead for 5-10minutes in the processor till you get the dough of the required consistency as mentioned.

• Grease a big bowl (at-least double in size than the size of the kneaded dough) with lots of oil. Transfer the kneaded dough to the bowl and cover it with a plastic film/ cling wrap (and not a wet towel as it will be a mess when the dough rise and touch the towel). Keep aside without moving for at-least 3 hours or till it doubles. I rested the dough for 40hours.
   

• On the day of making pizza, pre-heat oven to the maximum temperature of the oven along with the pan to make pizza for at-least 30minutes (550 degree Fahrenheit in my oven). 
  

• Meanwhile for preparing the sauce de-skin a ripe tomato using microwave or boiling in water for few minutes till the skin comes off.

• Mash well with a spoon or fork and add italian seasoning, sugar, tomato ketchup, kashmiri red chilly powder, red chilly flakes, olive oil and mix well. Check and adjust if salt is needed. Keep aside.

• Chop all the veggies to desired size for the topping as well as grate or roughly chop the cheese as required.

 

• While the oven is getting preheated, make sure a surface is prepared on the kitchen counter to place the extremely hot pan and arrange the pizza.

• Spread few tbsp of dry maida on a wide plate.

• Divide the dough to two using a knife. Do not punch the dough.
  
  
  
  
  
  

•  Take one portion to the plate with dry flour and coat maida on both sides. Take the dough in hands and stretch the dough to a thin round keeping the edges thicker than the inner portion (shape doesn't really matter) using both hands. Alternatively you can place it in a plate and stretch to desired size and shape with thicker edges.

• Carefully take out the preheated pan from the oven and place it on to the prepared surface. Sprinkle some fine semolina/rava on the pan and drizzle few tbsp of olive oil as well.
  

• Place the prepared pizza base on the board. Using a fork, prick the surface of the pizza so that the pizza will not puff out on baking. Transfer to the preheated dusted pan.

• Spread the oil and prepared pizza sauce on the surface (excluding the thicker edges) and sprinkle some grated parmesan cheese.

• Add the toppings of your choice and add cheeses as well.

• Sprinkle italian seasoning and chilly flakes as needed and top it with few more veggies.

 

• Press the pizza toppings with palm so that it will stick to the pizza crust on baking and will not separate.

• Sprinkle some olive oil on to the edge of pizza (the slightly thicker portion). 

• Carefully place the pan to the oven and cook for 7minutes.

 

• Serve hot. 

Note: 

• If using Instant Yeast, it may be directly added to the maida mixture and kneaded. The measurements of rest of the ingredients remain same. Using new packet of yeast helps in speeding up the fermentation as well as in ensuring the yeast is active.
• Maida may be replaced with Atta / Wheat flour for healthier version, but the taste enhances with maida/bread flour. Measurements remain same.
• Olive oil may be substituted with any other flavorless oil in its absence.
• Italian Seasoning may be substituted with Dried Kasuri Methi (Indian Pizza :P ) or can be opted out if couldn't arrange. 
• Toppings can be changed as per choice (chicken, meat, tikkas etc.). Tomatoes when used as topping should be dry and de-seeded.
• The recipe is for 2 medium size pizzas. However it may be made to 1 large pizza or more than 2 small pizzas depending on size of pan and requirement.
• Any cheese (Mozzarella, Cheddar, Parmesan, Provolone, Ricotta etc) may be used for pizza. However, using LOW MOISTURE MOZZARELLA CHEESE FROM WHOLE MILK assures best texture. If the cheese contains moisture content, the pizza may be soggy.
• It is preferable to not cook the pizza sauce.
• For Vegan option, use Vegan Cheese.