Hey there, I’m the new kid on the blog. Zanita told you a little about what I do yesterday. Here’s my first recipe: Ben’s Pizza.
Who doesn’t like a good pizza? Especially when it’s homemade with love and fresh ingredients. Pizza is the perfect party food. You can prepare the pizza bases long before your dinner party and then add your toppings when you’re ready to impress your friends. I have once prepared them a day in advance. All you do is wrap them in plastic wrap and store them in the fridge.
Sure it’s nice to go out to get a slice of pizza but why do that if you could do it in the comfort of your own home? You can even impress your friends by making it yourself. I love the oo’ing and ah’ing when I place a board of hot bubbly pizza in front of my friends! None of them can take their eyes off of it and all they want to know is how I made it myself? They have no idea how easy it really is. The pizza base provides a portion of carbohydrates, which gives you a source of energy. The tomatoes in the tomato sauce provide Vitamin E, which protects you from harmful toxins. Cheese is Calcium, which helps to strengthen your bones.
It may sound boring but my favourite pizza is the good old plain margarita. There’s a reason it’s been around for so long. There’s no fuss put into making it. That’s the kind of baking I love. It’s just simple ingredients with a simple process and a delicious output. Sounds fun right? Well why don’t you give it a try for yourself? 🙂
Makes 8 medium sized pizzas
Ingredients:
Pizza Dough:
• 500g plain flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 1 tbs honey
• 10g yeast
• 325ml lukewarm water
Tomato Sauce:
• drizzle of olive oil
• 2 red onions, finely chopped
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 3 tsp sugar
• 400g chopped tomatoes
Toppings:
• Grated cheddar or mozzarella cheese and your toppings of choice.
Method:
1. For the dough: In a bowl combine the flour, salt, olive oil and honey. I find it easier to measure the oil first and then use the same tablespoon to measure the honey. This way the honey doesn’t stick to your spoon. Make a well in the centre and place your yeast and water. Leave to sit for a minute or so. Mix the ingredients together until dough forms. Turn the dough out onto a floured working surface. Knead for 10 minutes or until you can stretch the dough easily without it tearing. Place in an oiled bowl and leave to rise, in a warm area, for 45 minutes to an hour. By that time the dough will have doubled in size.
2. Heat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius and prepare two nonstick baking trays. Divide the dough into eight equal pieces. The easiest way to do this is to divide the dough in half and then each half into four. Roll out your pizza bases to any shape you like. I like long rectangles. Remember they are homemade, so they don’t have to look perfect. If you want to go the extra mile and roll out pizzas in the shape of a circle, use a round cake tin to cut out a circular shape. Roll them out quite thin, a few millimeters thick. Pre bake the bases in batches. Bake in the oven for about 5 minutes till slightly golden, flipping them over half way through the baking time. Once baked, leave to cool. Once cooled wrap in plastic wrap.
3. Prepare your tomato sauce: Sauté the onions in the oil and salt till brown and soft. It takes about 5-10 minutes over a medium heat. Add the rest of the sauce ingredients and leave to simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.
4. Turn your oven onto grill and fan at 200 degrees Celsius. Time to assemble. Spread a spoon full of tomato sauce over the bases. Sprinkle with your grated cheese and add your toppings. Bake for 2-3 minutes till the
cheese is bubbling and golden. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.
This Article was written by Ben Orkin. Visit his blog or Instagram for more fantastic food.
