Home-made pizza recipe

The colourful autumn season is upon us and this brings such vibrancy to our monotonous routine over here. A leisure stroll into the parks and you are surrounded with such vibrant and colorful display. Sometimes, all you need is these little moments, moments where you can rejuvenate yourselves.

Time to bounce back to activity as with fall season, many recipes need to be tried and tasted. Baking and then of course soup preparations are all lined up these past days in our home. How about your home? What recipes you have been cooking this fall season?

It’s almost weekend so thought of posting a home-made pizza recipe. This pizza recipe had been our escape-route, when ever we don’t feel like going for the take-away pizza. And in due course of time, we have almost stopped doing pizza take-always these days. But, then when you have this craving for cheesy pizza, mid-week or weakened is just an excuse, right?

For us when it’s a pizza day, that means it’s a family day as we all work together, kneading the dough, chopping the vegetables and choosing the toppings. My dear husband and dear daughter- duo also equally share responsibility in making the pizza that day.Ok that’s another excuse for a laid –back time off for me.

This recipe has worked well for us many times. This has been worked and tweaked many times, as with the use of making with white bread flour, whole wheat; plain-flour etc, all resulted in different types of pizza dough recipes. But what worked best is the use of self raising flour mixed with fine semolina flour. I really liked the tip of adding semolina to the pizza dough as suggested by Jamie Oliver in his website as this gives a brilliant texture to the usual pizza dough. But from then onwards this pizza dough recipe has been modified with self raising flour. I am sure with bread flour it will be little different.

Anyways, this is our recipe now as we only make the pizza dough with self raising and semolina flour mixture but the toppings keeps on changing, even the flavouring part as well. Some days it’s chicken tikka flavor, and some days it has Caribbean influence.And even some days we see ourselves having veggie pizza with mushroom,bell peppers, onion and even asparagus.

Here is how we made the pizza dough recipe

Home-Made Pizza with Caribbean Flavour

Recipe Requirements

12 oz or 1 and ½ cups of self raising flour

4 oz or ½ cup of fine semolina

½ tsp of salt or as per taste

2 tsp of oil

2 tsp of sugar

3 tsp of active dried yeast

Lukewarm water about a cup or as per needed for kneading

For the toppings of the pizza

1 cup of sliced Jamaican Jerk Chicken pieces- recipe is Over Here

About 1 cup of chopped mushroom

½ cup of chopped onions

2-3 West Indian red pepper sliced

Any other vegetables of your choice

3-4 heaped tbs of any pasta sauce

 2 cups of mozzarella cheese or pizza cheese

Method

In a big mixing bowl – mix in self raising flour+fine semolina. Make a well in the centre and now we will add salt, sugar and oil. Add in active dry yeast and mix well. No need to prepare the yeast separately.

Now with the help of Luke-warm water, start mixing in the dry ingredients and knead till it starts to come together well.

Keep this dough covered with a damp cloth for about 2-3 hrs to rise and puff up. Don’t worry if it turns out sticky or very soft.

After about 3 hrs when you see the dough has puffed up well or technically have risen well.

Then on clean and spacious surface sprinkle enough self raising flour, start kneading the dough on this, about 15-20 mints. The hands motion should be going outside while pressing the dough to flatten it and then roll back the dough. Repeat the process and keep on kneading this way. If required sprinkle more flour so that it doesn't gets sticky.

After a while of kneading the pizza dough, you will see the dough starts to collect well and the stickiness is gone, also the dough turned soft and smooth. Now press a finger tip over the dough, it should feel soft and smooth, the pizza dough is almost ready.

Keep this further resting for about 1 hr. Now divide this into two equal portions.You can increase the flour quantity to make 4 portions as well.

Now while the dough is resting, cut and chop the desired vegetable as toppings.

Roll the dough at least about at the time when you are ready to eat it about half an hour just before that. As the baking time is roughly 15 mints and also the preparation time is 10-12 mints.

Roll out into a flat sphere considering the width you want for your pizza base and smear pasta sauce; any pasta sauce. Place chopped vegetables over it. I have used West Indian red pepper which has a very fiery hot flavor as toppings for that Caribbean influence.

Now preheat an oven at 190 deg C. Bake the pizza for about 6-7 mints. Take it out and sprinkle generous amount of mozzarella cheese over it and again bake it for 7-8 mints. Take out and have it.

You can even make the dough in bulk and store in deep fridge. And when you are ready to eat, then take it out and allow it thaw for about 1-2 hrs, then roll and add your preferred toppings and bake.

Enjoy your weekend with home-made pizza recipe.

Happy Cooking Friends