The Lean Veggie - Home made pizzas

I am not a big fan of store bought pizzas. They always seem too heavy, the crust too chewy, they are not generous enough with the toppings and they seem to drip with grease. Food tv had a whole weekend devoted to pizzas and this inspired me to make my own pizzas!

Home made pizzas are surprisingly very simple. They are inexpensive, and healthy as you can add as many fresh veggies as you like and cut back on the cheese.

The recipe below is for a basic pizza dough and basic sauce and toppings. Once you have mastered the basics, get online and look for more creative sauces and toppings.

Here are some helpful hints:
1) The traditional pizza recipes ask you to invest in a big marble slab that you need to place in the oven and pre-heat. You are then supposed to assemble the pizza base and toppings on a wooden paddle and slide the pizza off the paddle on to the pre heated pizza stone. This seemed like a lot of time and money, so I took the easy way out and bought a simple non stick pizza baking pan from walmart. It is a great addition to your kitchen (its just a big round flat non stick baking sheet). My pizzas turned out just fine. I assembled them right on top of the pan

2) Dont be afraid to use your freezer. Even though pizza making is easy, it takes time. If it takes you 45 minutes to make 1 pizza, it will take you only 60 minutes to make 5 pizzas (really!). So, just make atleast 5 small pizzas (each the size of a dinner plate), place each on a disposable paper or styrofoam plate, cover tightly with cling film and freeze. When ready to eat, just pop it into the oven and in 15 minutes, your pizza is ready. It keeps well for atleast 3 weeks (if not more).


Pizza Dough:

1 cup warm water (110 F/45 c)
1 (0.25 ounce packet) active/rapid rise dry yeast
3 tsps sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp vegetable oil

Invest in a non stick pizza baking pan

1) Bloom the yeast mixture per instructions given on packet. I used Fleischmann's rapid rise yeast. The packet instructed me to dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup warm water and 1 tsp sugar as my recipe called for “ACTIVE yeast”. Check out your packet instructions
DO NOT use hot water -it will kill the yeast. Warm tap water is the best. The water should feel warm to your hand and not feel hot

2) combine 1 cup flour, salt, remaining sugar (2 tsps), sugar and yeast mixture, oil and remaining warm water (3/4 cup) by stirring with a wooden spoon. The mixture will resemble a slurry
Slowly stir in the remaining 2 cups of all purpose flour. When the mixture becomes too dense to stir with the wooden spoon, transfer the dough to a clean counter top (which is first dusted with a little all purpose flour) and knead well with finger tips

3) If the dough is too sticky, add a little all purpose flour. Do not work the dough too hard, only use finger tips. When the dough is finally smooth, dry and pliable, transfer into a bowl, the inside of which has been fully rubbed with a little oil

4)Cover the bowl loosely and place the bowl in the fridge. After an hour or 2 (depends on the temperature and the yeast), the dough will expand into twice the size. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and knead again till smooth

5) Take a big ball of dough (about 5 chapathi balls put together for a medium pizza). Lightly dust the counter top with flour and press the dough out into a pizza shape using finger tips. Stretch and shape, it need not be a perfect circle. When you are done, the center should be thin and stretched, while the circumference should be thick. Transfer to the non stick pizza pan, and stretch and shape some more.

6) Cover with pizza sauce and toppings and bake at 450'F for about 15 minutes till the crust is done

Pizza Sauce

1) Prepare ½ cup finely chopped onion
2) Heat 1 tbsp olive oil and add the onion. Add a pinch of salt and cook on a medium flame till onions are well done and brown, preferably caramelized
3) Finely chop 3 cloves crushed garlic; Open one can tomato puree
4) Add the crushed garlic to the onion, stir well and immediately add the tomato puree
5) Wash the can (fill ¼ of can with water) and add the water to the pan
6) Add salt, red chilli powder (¼ tsp) – or crushed black pepper (½ tsp), 1 tsp oregano flakes, ½ tsp sugar, 1 tsp dried mixed italian herbs (basil is important)
7) Cover and stir occasionally and cook on a medium flame till excess water evaporates and you get a thick pizza sauce

Tips: When the tomato sauce becomes thick, it will start bubbling and if you are not careful, your hand could get splashed with the hot sauce. So, always keep the pan covered. While stirring, remove the pan from heat, stir it and then return to heat.