What's your Pizza?

[Icefever]

I love making our pizza's...I get fresh yeast from our local bakery around the corner from us...that's what I use in my lentil wash also.
We go for the more "meaty" one...pastrami, ham, salami, topped off with mushrooms,onions, tomato,.....and don't forget the.. stuffed crust mmmmmmmmmm

ps..I found a recipe for the tomato base sauce off an USA site....it is so good I now use it for my ragu sauce on a spagbol..

[chill]

I am a dedicated thin crust guy. I use the "five minute artisan bread" recipe for my dough. It can be rolled very thin (I am too clumsy to dare to attempt stretching or tossing) and baked on a pizza stone in a hot oven (as hot as your oven goes!).

Among very, very many toppings:
Piave cheese, thinly sliced lemon (peel yes, seeds no), thinly sliced red onion, finely chopped rosemary, sprinkle of sea salt. Tomato sauce? We don't need no stinking tomato sauce! This is pizza bianca!

Thinly sliced Italian mortadella, fior di latte cheese (or any fresh mozzarella like bococini, thinly sliced raw tomatoes (let the seeds fall out so the pizza does not get wet, tomato sauce. Add in reverse order.

Prosciutto and Parmigiano Reggiano, and tomato sauce. About a minute before it is ready cover with handfuls of Arugula (aka Salad Rocket other there I think or Ruccola in Italian) so that it wilts.

My sauce:
- saute a few cloves of chopped garlic and a pinch of chill flakes in a little olive oil
- add a can of San Marzano tomatoes or your preference
- 1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh Rosemary
- 3 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp fennel seed
- asian fish sauce
- salt to taste
Simmer until it is fully cooked (turns from red to orange) and thick, add 1 tsp sugar if too tart. Blot off oil before use.

Chuck

[Admiral Toad]

When making home made my favourite is still simply home made garlic bread pizza with fine chopped crushed fresh garlic in melted butter and a few anchovies on a very thin base

I like meaty ones too so would be interested in your tomato base recipe please icefever and Chill's sounds interesting too

[Icefever]

Recipe.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1⁄2 cup onion, chopped
1⁄4 cup celery, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 can tomato sauce
6 oz of tomato paste
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1⁄2 teaspoon sugar
1⁄4 teaspoon black pepper
1 small bay leaf
1 teaspoon fennel seed....(this is what's makes the difference for us)

In a large pan, melt butter with the oil. Add the onion, celery and garlic and saute until soft and transparent.
Add tomato sauce and tomato paste and stir until smooth.
Add remaining ingredients and bring to slow simmer.
Simmer for 30-60 minutes, or longer to reduce to the thickness you'll like.
Remove the bay leaf and spread the sauce on your prepared pizza dough.

[Almanac]

I don't have decent recipe for the pizza base dough and shop bought ones are really crap over here. I tried the "five minute artisan bread" recipe and it just didn't work for me as a bread recipe so I never bothered with it for making pizza dough.

Can't get fresh yeast here - believe me I've tried but Irish bakeries are too miserable - so I use Allinsons for this too

Anyone got a decent pizza dough recipe?

AM

[Icefever]

I've tried a number of dough recipes over time, and found this one here... it may not be to everyones liking, but it works for us.
I up the recipe by 25%, so that I have enough dough to make a stuffed crust.. we find that's a nice size for us two.

[Jimmy]

Cold fermented is the way to go for dough in my opinion! Like this one:

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2010 ... egano.html

4-5 days is about right, you can ignore the toppings they use and go pizza sauce (homemade) and sparing parmesan and slices of mozzarella, that's what I do. Don't over cheese, you'll unbalance it.

To cook, follow the recipe - use a cast iron skillet and get it ridiculously hot. Spread the dough on it, then do the toppings while it is in the pan. Once the underside is cooked, bang it under the grill to do the top. Few fresh basil leaves scattered over it, you're done.

Trust me, this is the result of much hard research into the subject. Best I can do this side of a wood fired oven. It's the only way I've found to get those beautiful brown bubbles in the dough, and the cold fermenting gives a nutty, slightly brewy taste that you miss with other dough.

[Mash]

Gonna give that a go Jimmy.
I have tried various doughs - thought this was going to be a sour dough before I read it.

Been making pizza (& all things yeasty) for years - lways looking for something new to try.

[Icefever]

..I've read about this method but never tried it...maybe one to make on a Monday...then it'll be ok for Friday...

I don't think you should over do any topping, I had them were to much is added and you find the base under cooked.

I do use a pizza stone which since starting to use it a couple of years ago has turned out some brilliant pizza's.

[Admiral Toad]

That sauce sounds interesting I will give it a go

Been using the 5 minute artisan bread dough for loaves and French sticks but have stuck with this BBC one for pizza base that's alway worked well for us

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/pizzadoughbase_70980

[Almanac]

Plenty of "Food for Thought" there,

Thanks for the links guys I'll give them a try and see what the mob here prefer

AM