If you ask a group of kids what their favorite food is, chances are high that a lot of them would say PIZZA. How convenient to pick up the phone and 'Order Pizza' for kids or adults at any party. Last Christmas thanks to a game of Secret Santa, I was blessed with a Pizza Stone. Needless to say, the experimentation began. My hubby's teeth are still in reasonable shape but I have finally arrived at the recipe which works best and I am pleased to share that with you all. Happy Experimenting ! ..Btw the Pizza Stone is not mandatory, it just adds flavor. It is available on sale at Macy's occassionally.
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| Home made Pizza |
Ingredients
Yeast (1 pkt)
Flour 3-4 cups
Olive oil -2 tablespoons
Salt per taste
Sugar -1 tsp
1 Egg (optional)
Cornmeal (1 tblsp)
Tomato Sauce - Pasta/Pizza sauce or homemade (Tomatoes, veggies, spices, nuts)
Toppings of your choice: Onions, Boneless cooked chicken(salt /lime/spices), Pineapple, Mozarella cheese. (Other choices range from Brocolli, Mushroom, Spinach, Bell Peppers, (If you are looking for protein sources then meat, All natural hotdogs, sausages, pepperonni etc. )
1. First mix 2 and half tsp of Yeast (1 small packet) with 1 tsp of sugar in a bowl and add 1 cup of lukewarm water to it. After 15 mins the yeast will rise as shown below.
2. Add 2 cups of all-purpose flour (you can chose organic/ unbleached etc) and mix it. Add salt per taste (about 1 small tsp) and mix it.
3. Add 1 egg to the mixture above. (egg is optional -it makes the bread softer, skip the yolk if you wish to) . Add another 1-2 cups of flour , 2 tablespoons of olive oil and mix. Add water if necessary to get a medium consistency.
4. Cover with a moist cloth and keep it for 2 hours. The dough will rise very nicely. Mix it again and then keep it for another 30 minutes.
5. Prep your toppings. This is the time you have a chance to pretty much chose anything you or your kids love. Shown below are onions, sliced boneless chicken , pineapple and cubed mozarella cheese.
6. Tomato sauce :- This can be made in several ways. You can modify pasta/pizza sauce, or you can make your own depending on time. Feel free with experimenting with the ingredients like Parsley, Mushrooms, Fried Onions, Basil in the sauce. Remember to peel the skin of the tomatoes after boiling tomatoes in water and before grinding it. For this pizza I added cashewnuts and pistas because my kids don't like nuts a lot, so this is one way of getting them to eat it.
7. Sprinkle corn meal on the pizza stone. Do not substitute with flour (I tried it). Flour works well with cakes but with pizza, corn meal helps it to separate from the stone. It also adds a little flavor.
7. Roll the dough to almost fill the pizza stone. Fold the edges slightly upwards so it forms a rim.
9. Spread the tomato sauce, add cheese (shredded mozarella works well) and add all your favorite toppings. As mentioned above, this pizza has cooked boneless chicken (sauteed with lime, salt), pineapple, onions and cubed mozeralla cheese.
10. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees for about 35-40 minutes until well done.
11. Keep to cool for 10 minutes before slicing it.
Note : Experiment with other toppings of your choice - Spinach, Mushrooms, Brocolli etc. You can also add veggies that children do not generally eat in the tomato sauce mix.
Pictured below is another Pizza made with the all-time favorite pepperonni, (without BHT), brocolli, mushroom ,shredded mozarella and onions.
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