Making a Perfect Pizza – Step by Step

Instructions

STEP 1:  Prepare the pizza sauce

You can buy this ready-made, but I always prefer knowing what goes into my pizza sauce. Here is my recipe for a simple pizza sauce. Do not go overboard with the spices, you want this simple and naturally flavorful.

Blend 2-3 tomatoes, 1 capsicum, 1 green chilli, small onion and a grated carrot together until smooth. Heat a bit of oil in a pan, like a tbsp. or even less. Then add a bit of garlic paste, followed by 1 tbsp. tomato paste. Once that’s cooked for a couple mins, add the blended mixture and simmer. Add salt and a tsp. of sugar followed by a bit of tandoori masala or cumin powder or oregano or you can just leave it plain and unspiced according to your taste. Let it simmer until thick and all the water is gone. Then use accordingly! 🙂

 Leftover sauce can work perfectly in burgers or sandwiches or even as a base-sauce for pasta

STEP 2:  Get all your toppings ready. I’ve used shredded leftover tandoori baked chicken (recipe HERE)  I’ve also used chunks of pineapple, some sweet corn, red & green capsicum/bell pepper and some sliced red onions.

You can use any topping of your choice. You can make it a meat pizza, veggie, combo…whatever you like. Just make sure your toppings are not soggy otherwise your pizza will be a sloppy mess.

STEP 3:  Now prepare the dough. This pizza was a 12 inch one, and it is enough for 3 very hungry people or 4 if you have any sides like garlic bread, fries, salad…etc.

Mix all the dry ingredients and the oil, then slowly start adding the warm milk a little at a time. Get it to a soft dough, the softer the better, knead it very well for at least 8 minutes or more if possible.

Dab a touch of oil all over the dough, then cover it and place it somewhere warm. Leave it to rise to double its size, takes about 30 mins to an hour depending on the weather.

Once risen, punch it down, give it a quick knead and then roll it out to about 12 inches diameter and place on your greased pizza pan/tray. Again cover the tray with a light cloth/towel and let the base rest/rise slightly for about 15-20 mins

STEP 4:  When you check on it after 20 mins, it will have slightly puffed up. Take a sharp knife and make tiny slits all over the base. This helps the pizza rise evenly during baking once the toppings are on it. Missing this step can leave your pizza bubbly in some parts and flat in others, not a pretty sight! 🙂

STEP 5:  Once you’ve made the slits, apply a coating of your pizza sauce as evenly as you can.

STEP 6:  Now grate some cheese, mozzarella preferably, and sprinkle a light layer all over. This helps ‘grip’ the toppings to the base later on.

STEP 7:  Now add your toppings one at a time

Pic 1: Tandoori Chicken chunks
Pic 2: Sliced onions
Pic 3: Pineapple chunks
Pic 4: Red & Green Pepper
Pic 5: Sweet corn
Pic 6: Mozzarella & Cheddar Cheese (make sure you use GOOD QUALITY cheeses for best results)

Make sure you don’t over-pile your pizza. Be generous but not overly so. Remember, the base has not been baked beforehand. Too much weight could restrict the base from rising well during baking. 🙂

STEP 8:  I like to drizzle some ketchup over the cheese. It gives the pizza a magnificent color once baked. If you like, you can sprinkle some oregano on the pizza or chili powder if you like it extra spicy.

Once done, bake the pizza in a pre-heated oven at 180C for about 20-25mins. Keep an eye on it and adjust the baking time according to your oven. It could take more or less time.

FINAL RESULT!
And you have your perfect home-made pizza, just like that! When you get the pizza out of the oven, give it some time to rest (about 5-10 mins) so that the cheese can settle and cool very slightly. Slice it up into 8 slices and serve with fries or a salad and garlic bread. Don’t forget a cold drink!