Best Ever Pizza

So you might have gathered that I love food just a bit. It occupies most of my thoughts and my idea of a good time is a few hours experimenting in the kitchen. If I had to name my favourite food, it would probably be pizza. I love it. Love it. Love it. Love it. Thin chewy bases layered with colourful toppings then loaded with cheese makes me very happy. I am somewhat of a traditionalist when it comes to the humble pizza and don’t really get into the realm of gourmet finery such as tandoori chicken or greek lamb with yoghurt and other such concoctions. I suppose I think that those are dishes unto themselves and don’t really need to go on a pizza. Give me a Capricossia any day. It’s my all time favourite when making at home or ordering out and usually features mushroom, onion, ham, salami and olives. It’s a hands down winner in my book.

Over the years I’ve experimented with different bases. I’ve used pita bread, flat breads, and made variations on standard pizza dough all of which are alright, but not amazing. I wanted amazing however so I decided to do a bit of research on the old internet for something special and found this recipe at bon appetit. It sounded good to me so I thought I’d give it a crack.

The recipe was quite large so I halved it and also tweaked it to include wholemeal flour. It was the best pizza dough I’ve ever made. You kind of have to plan how you’re going to do it a day in advance but it’s worth it and aside from the planning, the effort required is surprisingly minimal. I followed the instructions by cooking the pizza in a blistering oven and it turned out even better than I’d hoped. The pizza really is in the dough I discovered.The base was golden brown underneath, soft and chewy in the middle with crispy edges slightly darkened.

I made my Capricossia but alas, ran out of light to photograph it with. I did manage to get some decent pictures of my first creation however. This one I kept super simple. I do have a tendency to go over the top with flavours sometimes so I really tried to rein it in. I made a basic sauce with organic passata, garlic, oregano and chilli flakes. I made enough sauce for the 3 large pizza bases I got from the dough. As I had a base spare I sauced it up, topped it with some cheese and whacked it in the freezer to pull out when I’m looking for an easy meal with no fuss.

I’d bought some perfect cherry tomatoes at the markets for a couple of dollars and sliced up a heap and scattered them over the sauce and a little grated cheese. I then topped with some more cheese and parmesan and put it in the oven at 250 degrees for about 15 minutes. Freshly crumbled fetta and finely sliced basil completed the pizza.

It was heaven.

The sweet tomatoes popped against the warmth of the chilli flakes and the sharpness of the fetta and parmesan. The perfume of the basil transported me to a sunny afternoon in Tuscany. We scoffed it down along with the other pizza leaving embarrassingly little leftovers. I heartily recommend you try this, I will definitely be making it again. Friday night is traditionally our pizza and movie night where we tend to order in but to be honest, I think I will just make this instead. It’s healthier, cheapier and tastes better!

Best Ever Pizza Dough (adapted from recipe found at bon appetit)

Makes 3 large pizza bases

2 cups wholemeal flour

1 & 3/4 cups plain flour

2 teaspoons sea salt

1/4 teaspoon dry yeast

Combine ingredients in a large bowl and whilst stirring with a wooden spoon, gradually add 1 & 1/2 cups of water.

Mix the dough gently until well combined and form a rough ball.

Put the dough in a large bowl and cover with cling wrap and let dough rise at room temperature until doubled in size and the surface is covered with small bubbles (I left mine overnight for about 14 hours).

On a floured surface, shape the dough into a rectangle and divide into 3 pieces. With each piece, gather 4 corners into the centre and then with the seams on the underside, form into a ball. Let the dough rest for an hour and then roll out each ball into your preferred shape on a floured surface. Alternatively, you can refrigerate the balls of dough and then roll out after they have rested at room temperature for a couple of hours.

I find the easiest way to make the pizzas is to put them on a sheet of baking paper lightly sprayed with olive oil. Top each with your favourite toppings and then transport to a tray or pizza stone. When ready to cook, heat your oven to 250 degrees (celsius) and cook pizzas for 10-15 minutes, rotating if necessary until golden brown.