A.R.S.E.

I made pizza last night for the umteenth time. This is a regular in our house often being done weekly during the colder months.

Thought Id share how I do mine.

Tracey and the kids have different toppings as it is each to their own.

First up the base. Easiest thing I have ever made and the ease of it is the reason I make my own. No yeast, no waiting, no fuss

1 cup of plain flour
1/2 cup luke warm water
lug or 2 of oil
pinch of salt

put it all through the food processor for 15 seconds or so, turn it out, give it a bit of a knead then roll it out. I got the recipe from a Jamie Oliver 30 minute meal book. Thats why it is so easy.

Toppings below:
standard tomato paste
whatever ham is in the fridge
thinly sliced salami
char grilled capsicum out of a jar. awesome flavour, only tried this very recently
egg
chilli flakes
cheese

The key is not to over do the toppings. I dont want every bite to taste exactly the same but I want each bite to have flavour. Some bites you get the lot, some bites might not have egg or salami or chilli.

Did ya save me a bit?

About 15 years ago, I bought a couple of those sandstone coloured round pizza stones.
Now they are a deep rich brown after years of use.
They make the domestic oven cooked pizzas work really well.

Guess what I am having tonight..

That was a great series that Oliver did, Jamie's Ministry of Food are another to look into also.

+1 for the stones.

Lol, funny this should appear, we're doing home made pizza tonight too. I have a beer base receipe which always turns out awesome.

Question for Bauer - thought about putting the cheese on first so the other ingredients sit on top and get crispy?

Takumi wrote: Question for Bauer - thought about putting the cheese on first so the other ingredients sit on top and get crispy?

funny you should ask - I had never thought about doing that but I watched a local (traditional) pizza bar make me a pizza a couple of weeks ago and they put a thin layer (more of a sprinkle) of cheese on after the sauce but before all the other ingredients. They still put cheese on top though. Is that what you do or no cheese on top at all?

And what do you do for the base? Its not that Im a beer drinker anyway but Im interested in what you do.

I'm not a master or anything but I will post up a few photos later on if ya like. After the pizza sauce I put the layer of cheese on first (always a thin layer for me otherwise it all melts together and gets oily) and then everything else on top. I love using pepperoni and shredded (raw) beef if you leave them all on top they seem to cook a lot better and get crispy, instead of covered in the cheese.

As for the base I got given a pizza base receipe a few years ago and basically bastardised it to include beer - the beer taste is only very subtle but you can taste it and it makes the house smell beautiful to boot

Anyway I will report back later

I call the pizza place down the road!

Alright, here's how I do it.

Ingredients:
4 cups Plain Flower
1 tablespoon Sugar
1 tablespoon Salt
1 sachet Tandaco Yeast
Optional: 4 tablespoons of olive or vege oil. Turns out great without it, but using oil may
add more crunch to the base.


Add approx. 80% of a bottle of Coopers Pale while mixing (or other beer of your choice) down to about this level on the bottle. As you get closer to this amount start adding more beer slowly as you mix because you gotta be careful not to add too much. If the mixture gets sticky, start adding flour until it smooths off again.


After much kneading and rolling, should look like this


This mixture can make 2 full size pizzas - or 3 thin base. Split it up based on your preference. My wife likes a thinner pizza so I split off about 1/3 for her and 2/3 for me.


Rolled out onto a greased tray. I use the side of a fork to create a groove where the crust should start. Optional: rub butter into the crust part for extra crunch.


Use a fork to prod holes across the whole base. Seems to help a bit with the base rising. Let it sit 5mins and then start with the sauce.



Bit of cheese. I don't go overboard with it otherwise it turns into a greasy mess later on. Seems to affect overall crispyness!


Went for a fairly simple pepperoni and beef brisket and challots


Into the preheated oven, as hot as it can go.


Tada. Overcooked slightly on one side but tasted beautiful.


Fairly thick base. Again, was about 2/3 of the mixture.


Epic crunchiness

That looks the good Tak, might try yours

Putting a thin layer of cheese above the sauce helps gel things together and prevent it all from sliding off as you try to eat it.

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I've done plenty of home made pizza's using frozen bases from coles - I might just have to have a crack at my own base next time...
Those pizza's look amazing!