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The best homemade pizza recipe anyone can master
Published 17:15 23 Sept 2015 BST
Updated 12:56 28 Sept 2015 BST
Add us as a preferred source on Google »How about becoming an expert in Italian cuisine? Ok, slight exaggeration... an expert in one dish. My best pizza advice for homemade Italian style pizzas (that taste amazing) is to buy a bread maker to make the dough. Once the dough is looked after, it’s plain sailing peeps.
You can buy a dough maker for less than a hundred euro and it’s well worth the investment. Think of all those times you’ve dropped more than €20 on a couple of average takeaway pizzas. The ingredients for pizzas cost a pittance. After four or five uses, you’ll have made your money back (and lots of friends too).
Kids love pizza parties too. Buy a bunch of rolling pins and a few kids aprons, invite a couple of friends over after school on a Friday and get cooking. (Then when they’re gone to bed, open a bottle of red, pop your own pizza in the oven and put your feet up).
Serves 6
Pizza bases
1kg of strong bread flour
2 x 7g sachets of dried yeast
650ml tepid water
One dessertspoon sugar
One tablespoon salt
Tomato sauce
One tablespoon olive oil
One clove garlic, peeled and finely sliced
Two tins chopped tomatoes
A pinch of sugar
Topping ideas
Mozzarella
Cooked chicken, ham, pepperoni, sausage, bacon lardons, Parma ham
Tinned sweetcorn, pineapple
Sliced peppers, mushrooms
Jars of roasted peppers, artichokes, aubergine, sundried tomatoes, pesto & caramelised onions
Olives, capers, anchovies, jalapenos, chilli, red onion
Selection of cheeses
Options to finish (for the adults)
Flavoured Oil – chilli, garlic or truffle
Rocket or basil leaves
Directions
1. To make the dough, put all the ingredients in your bread maker and put on the dough setting.
2. To make the tomato sauce, heat the olive oil in a saucepan. Add the garlic and cook for one min. Add the tins of tomatoes and a pinch of sugar. Bring up to the boil, turn down the heat and simmer on low for 20 minutes. For a smooth sauce, blend through.
3. Preheat your oven to the highest setting. When the dough is ready, divide into 6 or 12 even portions. Dust a clean surface with flour and roll out to desired size and thickness. Put the pizza bases on non-stick baking trays, spread with the tomato sauce, tear over mozzarella (one ball per large pizza, half a ball per small) and add your toppings of choice. Bake in the oven for 8-12 mins till browned and bubbling.
4. When the pizza comes out of the oven, drizzle with a flavoured oil and some rocket or basil leaves for an authentic Italian pizza.
Tip: To make your own doughballs, break off small pieces of dough the size of ping pong balls, roll in semolina flour. Place on a baking tray and bake for five mins at 220C or 200C fan. Serve with melted Improper Butter Real Garlic Butter for dipping.
Elaine Lavery is a former French Alps chalet chef, and now the co-founder of Irish company Improper Food. The company’s first product, Improper Butter is a yummy range of natural garlic and herb cooking butters.
This week Elaine is our foodie Guest Blogger, highlighting some amazing Irish small food producers, she adds, "As a small food producer, I am a big advocate of buying locally. We have amazing quality produce to choose from and buying local has become really on-trend."
Serves 6
Pizza bases
1kg of strong bread flour
2 x 7g sachets of dried yeast
650ml tepid water
One dessertspoon sugar
One tablespoon salt
Tomato sauce
One tablespoon olive oil
One clove garlic, peeled and finely sliced
Two tins chopped tomatoes
A pinch of sugar
Topping ideas
Mozzarella
Cooked chicken, ham, pepperoni, sausage, bacon lardons, Parma ham
Tinned sweetcorn, pineapple
Sliced peppers, mushrooms
Jars of roasted peppers, artichokes, aubergine, sundried tomatoes, pesto & caramelised onions
Olives, capers, anchovies, jalapenos, chilli, red onion
Selection of cheeses
Options to finish (for the adults)
Flavoured Oil – chilli, garlic or truffle
Rocket or basil leaves
Directions
1. To make the dough, put all the ingredients in your bread maker and put on the dough setting.
2. To make the tomato sauce, heat the olive oil in a saucepan. Add the garlic and cook for one min. Add the tins of tomatoes and a pinch of sugar. Bring up to the boil, turn down the heat and simmer on low for 20 minutes. For a smooth sauce, blend through.
3. Preheat your oven to the highest setting. When the dough is ready, divide into 6 or 12 even portions. Dust a clean surface with flour and roll out to desired size and thickness. Put the pizza bases on non-stick baking trays, spread with the tomato sauce, tear over mozzarella (one ball per large pizza, half a ball per small) and add your toppings of choice. Bake in the oven for 8-12 mins till browned and bubbling.
4. When the pizza comes out of the oven, drizzle with a flavoured oil and some rocket or basil leaves for an authentic Italian pizza.
Tip: To make your own doughballs, break off small pieces of dough the size of ping pong balls, roll in semolina flour. Place on a baking tray and bake for five mins at 220C or 200C fan. Serve with melted Improper Butter Real Garlic Butter for dipping.
Elaine Lavery is a former French Alps chalet chef, and now the co-founder of Irish company Improper Food. The company’s first product, Improper Butter is a yummy range of natural garlic and herb cooking butters.
This week Elaine is our foodie Guest Blogger, highlighting some amazing Irish small food producers, she adds, "As a small food producer, I am a big advocate of buying locally. We have amazing quality produce to choose from and buying local has become really on-trend."Explore more on these topics:
