Pizza is one of the famous and well loved food around the world. Though it is Italian in origin you can surely find pizza in different styles all over the world. For the crust some like it thin as Italians do and some like it more thick and hearty. As for the topping there are numerous things that can be added and they reflect the different cultures that adapted pizza.
Some might like it the simple way with just tomato sauce, basil leaves and melted cheese. While others might fancy more meat with different kind of cooked meat, sausages and salami.
Personally I prefer the vegetarian options. And that is why today I’ll show three different ways to top your pizzas. I will also share with you an easy way to make pizza dough Italian style.
To know how to make pizza dough and my choice of toppings please watch the video:
Ingredients:
Dough:
- 4 cups or 750 gram A/P flour
- 2 cups minus 2 tbsp or 480 ml lukewarm water
- 3 tsp or 15 grams salt
- 5 tsp or 22 grams dried instant yeast
- 1/3 cup or 75 ml extra virgin olive oil
Sauce:
- 2 or 3 cloves of garlic
- 4 tbsp tomato sauce or ketchup
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
- 1 tbsp dried thyme leaves
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Toppings:
- Green pepper sliced
- Tomato sliced
- Red onion sliced
- Zucchini sliced
- Mushroom sliced
- Black olives
- Haloumi cheese sliced
- Cherry tomato
- Grated Mozzarella cheese
- Optional: grated cheddar and parmesan
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Tips:
- The dough is sticky. But after kneading it properly its stickiness will be much less. Please watch the video for a clearer demo.
- The dough must rest for at least 2 hours in a warm place. But it is better to leave for longer periods. 6 hours at room temperature or 24 hours in the fridge for a more authentic Italian crust. The slower fermentation will give it a better texture and flavour.
- You can add whatever you choose to the sauce for example basil leaves or chili powder.
- You can use whatever veggies or other toppings.
- Bake the pizza in a preheated oven at 200 C for 10 mins or until the pizza is done.
- After the first bake add the mozzarella cheese or any other kind of cheese you want to use and place the pizza under the grill for the cheese to melt and become golden.
