(It is your own
homemade and healthier version of deep-dish or thin-crust pizza with any amount
of favorite toppings in less than 20 minutes.
Here is a recipe for one medium-sized pizza)
Ingredients:
Whole
wheat flour: 2 Cups
Basil
leaves: 6-7
Olive
oil: 100 gm
Salt: 1
tsp
Yeast
powder: ½ tbsp
Warm
water: 1 cup
Fine
flour (Maida): 10 gm
Parchment
paper: 1
The Sauce:
Tomatoes
Puree: 1 cup
Onion: 1
cup
Chicken/vegetable
stock (optional) :1 cube
Oregano
dried: 2 tsp
Red
chilies (optional) 1 tsp
Garlic: 5
cloves
Toppings: One can add any amount of cold-cuts,
pre-cooked and processed meats.
Vegetables like, olives, eggplant, mushrooms, bell-peppers, cottage
cheese and sundries tomatoes make for excellent combination of a pizza. You can also add some grapes to give a sweet
dimension to the flavours.
Cheese: You can use
different combinations of cheese as it adds depth to the flavours. The classic pizza cheeses are mozzarella,
cheddar and Gouda. 100 gm of cheese is
sufficient for a medium size pizza.
Preparation:
The Crust:
Make the pizza dough, for
the crust, a couple of hours before your meal-time
1. In a bowl, mix water,
yeast and sugar together and let it sit for 10 minutes;
2. Once the mixture foams
up, add whole wheat flour, salt, finely chopped basil leaves and olive oil.
Bring it all together by kneading with your hands to make soft dough. You should be able to pinch it without the
dough sticking to your fingers.
3. After wrapping the bowl
with cling film keep it aside for at least two hours for the dough to rise.
The Sauce:
On a pre-heated pan, put a 2 tbsp of
olive oil and add coarsely chopped onions.
Fry till translucent and add the pureed tomatoes. Once the oil starts to appear on the side,
add garlic, chilies, chicken/vegetable stock cube, salt, sugar and
oregano. Mix them well for two more
minutes. Check for flavours and adjust.
Remove the pan from the fire and keep aside to cool down.
Preparing Pizza:
1. Start with
the crust. Tear off a piece of parchment
paper and sprinkle Maida over it. Take a
chunk of the dough, make a medium sized ball and roll it out think with a
Belan. Keep the thickness according to
the crust of your liking. Roll the edges
inward so that the cheese and the sauce don’t flow out while baking.
2. By now,
pre-heat oven at 250 degree, together with the backing try, for 15 minutes
before the pizza goes in.
3. Add the
sauce to the crust and spread it evenly and generously
4. Add the
thinly sliced meats and veggies to the crust.
5. Grate all
the three kinds of cheese with equal measure on top of the meats and veggies.
6. Put the
crust together with the parchment paper on the baking tray.
7. Bake the
Pizza till the crust firms up and the cheese turns golden.
8. Drizzle
extra virgin olive oil before serving hot.
pic courtesy:http://www.inspiredbycharm.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/IMG_8906-1024x682.jpg
