I love pizza! From the pizza slices my gran would buy us from the local bakery when we were wee, the Findus French bread pizzas that were popular in the late 80's, the local pizza shop that I was a regular of when I went to university (those days when I could eat a 12inch pizza to myself and not put on a pound of weight!), to the many Dominos and Pizza Hut varieties of today. Whether its a simple Margherita or a fully loaded meat feast I'll enjoy it.
I've been making homemade pizza for quite a while now. I think it started with the recipe in The River Cottage Family Cookbook and has evolved from there. I now use a simple bread recipe that you can also use for a tin loaf or bloomer, but it makes enough for three delicious pizza doughs.
If I'm making homemade pizza then the toppings will always include, bbq sauce, chicken, haggis, mushrooms and cheddar cheese. Occasionally there might be some ham or salami on there as well, but always those first 5. I have even gone to the trouble of roasting a chicken just so we could have chicken for the pizza!
The beauty of making this yourself is firstly, as with anything homemade, you know exactly what's in it and there's no additives or preservatives. You can have as much or little as you want, if you want smaller pizzas just divide the dough up into four, five or six pieces. Its fun and gives a sense of achievement. I made this with my niece and nephew and they loved getting involved and adding their own toppings. And finally, it tastes amazing! The dough is light and the crusts are soft, you will want to eat every last morsel.
Each pizza dough from this recipe will make approximately a 10 - 12 inch pizza. If you only need one pizza dough then I'd still make the whole recipe but freeze the remaining two doughs. These pizzas are a Friday or Saturday night treat meal for us so we have a whole one each! I'll always freeze the remaining dough and we can share it another time.
If you do want to freeze any or all of the doughs then take them to the point where you make them into nice rounds, before shaping into the pizza base. I put them on some greaseproof/ baking paper, then place into the freezer. Once frozen I'll wrap in clingfilm and/ or put a food bag and place in a container. When you're ready to use them, defrost in the fridge overnight, or for 8-12 hours, then remove from the fridge about 30 minutes before you intend to roll them out. They should be at room temperature before you roll them out.
My final tip for making these pizza's is to buy some semolina. It really does make rolling them out easier. For years I never bothered, it didn't seem essential and was just another thing to buy, which is true, but, once I'd been given some to try I've never gone without. If you don't have any, you can still make this just roll out on a floured surface and be patient if the dough sticks a bit to either the surface or your rolling pin.
You won't need any fancy equipment or a pizza stone, unless you already have one. For years I kneaded by hand and put on a normal baking tray. The last bit I still do but I now have a lovely food mixer to make the kneading easier!
You are of course free to use whichever toppings you like. If you'd rather have a tomato sauce base than bbq, then a few spoonful's of a good passata will do the trick or most supermarkets will have pizza sauces you can buy.
The following pictures give you a guide for each stage of the dough and pizza making process. My hope is that between these and the directions below you know what you're doing and what you're looking for at each stage. It's not difficult so please do give it a go.
Recipe
Makes 3, 10-12 inch pizza bases
Pizza dough
300ml warm water (I use boiled and cooled water from the kettle)
500g strong white flour
10g salt
7g fast action yeast
40ml / 2.5 tbsp olive oil (plus extra for oiling)
2 tbsp semolina (optional)
Toppings (per pizza)
2 - 3 tablespoons bbq sauce
2 medium sized mushrooms sliced
80g cooked chicken sliced or chopped
80g haggis chopped (I use pre-sliced haggis from the butchers or tinned haggis)
60g cheddar cheese grated
Directions
Dough - if you have a food mixer
Add the water to the food mixer bowl, then place your bowl onto kitchen scales to weigh in the rest of the ingredients.
Add the flour, then the salt to one side of the bowl and the yeast to the other. Do not add the salt and yeast on top of each other.
Now add the oil.
Using the dough hook begin mixing on the lowest speed until all the ingredients come together, about 45-60 seconds.
Turn the mixer up slightly and let run for about 4 minutes. You may want to stop it half way through and scrap any dough from the sides into the middle of the bowl.
Once the dough looks nice and smooth its ready.
Tip into a large lightly oiled bowl.
Dough - without a food mixer
Place your bowl onto kitchen scales to and weigh in the flour, then the salt to one side of the bowl and the yeast to the other. Do not add the salt and yeast on top of each other.
Add the oil.
Gradually add the water, while beginning to mix with your hand. At this stage try to only use one hand for mixing keeping the other clean for pouring water.
Once all the ingredients have come together to form a dough tip out onto a lightly oiled surface for kneading.
Knead for 10 - 15 minutes until you have a smooth dough.
Form into a ball and place into a large lightly oiled bowl.
Cover the bowl with clingfilm or a tea towel and place somewhere warm for 1.5 - 2.5 hours until it's doubled in size. The warmth of your kitchen or wherever you place it will determine how long it takes to rise.
Switch on your oven to heat at its highest setting and prepare a baking tray with baking paper or lightly oil it.
Once the dough has doubled in size remove from the bowl onto a lightly oiled surface.
Knockback the dough by pressing all the air out of it and lightly knead for a minute or so.
Divide into 3 doughs and shape into rounds, by tucking the edges inwards at the bottom. (if freezing do at this stage)
Leave to sit for 10 minutes.
Add a little semolina to your surface and taking one dough at a time press out at the edges with your fingers while rotating the dough around in a circle.
Now using a rolling pin, roll out to your desired size. This will take a couple of minutes. You can also lift the dough onto the back of your fingers and gently stretch out. I usually roll a bit, then hand stretch then roll a bit more. (see photos above for a guide)
Place the dough on a baking tray lined with baking paper or slightly oiled.
Now add your toppings. I start with the sauce using the back of a spoon to spread it around. Then a little cheese, the other toppings, then a little more cheese.
Cook in an oven on its highest setting ideally 230°C fan, for 10 - 15 mins until you can see the base it cooked through.
If you're making more than one pizza you can set this first one aside on its tray until you have the next one ready (as long as you have two trays). Then put them both in the oven at the same time, on different shelves.
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