Homemade Pizza

Originated in Napoli(Naples), Italy, Pizza has become popular and loved everywhere in the world! With the simplest ingredients I will show you how to cook gorgeous, delicious pizza at home. 

The pizza dough is a basic preparation made from flour, water, yeast, oil and salt that will be needed to realize all the pizza you fancy, as thin or higher you desire.

Remember to start preparing the dough at least 2 hours before baking the pizza, so it allows to prove (good leavening).

Ingredients: 

(for 4 pizzas)

1kg flour

5 gr yeast

600 ml water 

5 tablespoons olive oil

20 gr salt

1 teaspoons sugar

*Ingredients for the tomato sauce:

1 tin peeled tomatoes 

1 clove of garlic 

pinch of salt&pepper

olive oil

Preparation of the tomato sauce:

-put the olive oil in a hot pan together with the crusted clove of garlic and fry until the garlic is slightly browned (Figure 1)

Figure 1

-pour over the peeled tin tomatoes and leave to simmer on a low heat to reduce (Figure 2)

Figure 2

-season with salt&pepper and crush the tomatoes with a potatoes masher to form a dense consistency sauce. (Figure 3)

Figure 3

Preparation of dough:

Step1:- place the flour in a large bowl and make a hole, a well in the center. (Figure 4)

Figure 5

Figure 4

Step2:-take another bowl, pour 300-400 ml warm to dissolve the yeast and the sugar

-stir well until dissolved and insert at the center of the flour

-now in another little bowl dissolve 20 gr salt in lukewarm water, add the oil to that and pour over the flour in the little well 

-save apart a bit of flour and warm water which will help you reach the desired consistency which must be soft and elastic

Step3:-start to knead, work until the dough is smooth and soft but consistent with whom you will form a ball (Figure 5&6&7) that you are going to lay in a large bowl dusted with flour to prove cover the bowl with cling film and a clean tea towel and store it in a warm place away from drafts for one hour and 30 min. (Figure 7a)

Figure 7

Figure 6

Figure 7a

 -after that your dough must double in size (Figure 8)

Figure 8

Step4:-now proceed to portion the dough in 4 balls (Figure 9)

Figure 9

-place the 4 dough balls in a tray with quite a distance between them

-drizzle them with olive oil and cover again with cling film and tea towel and leave them again in a warm place to raise again for minimum 3 hours. (Figure 10)

Figure 10

Step5:-after 1 hour the dough balls are well leavened (Figure 11)

Figure 11

-take one ball and roll it out to form circle with a diameter of about 30cm (Figure 12)

Figure 12

-place it on a pizza tray after you drizzled it with oil 

Step6:-start generously stuffing the pizza as you desire

-FIRST put the tomato sauce* and then diced mozzarella and followed by any ingredients you want. (tomato sauce and mozzarella make a Pizza Margherita)

Calzone Pizza-Figure 13 (a-e)
-olives,
-ham,
-pepperoni,
-mushrooms

Figure 13b

Figure 13a

Figure 13d

Figure 13c

Figure 13e

Figure 13

In the next part I will share with you some of my favorites.

Pizza Anchovies Fig 14
-Anchovies
-Pitted black olives

Figure 14

Pizza Quattro Stagioni Figure 15(a-b)

-Black olives

-Prosciutto cotto 

-Pepperoni

-Mushrooms 

-Chilly

Figure 15a

Figure 15b

Figure 15

Special for children! :) (Figure 16&17)

-Ham

-Mushrooms

-Frankfurters (sausages)

Figure 16

Figure 17

Parma & Rocket (Fantasia)....called this because it can look as you like using your fantasy. Fig 18 (18a&18b)

-Proscitto Crudo(Parma Ham)
-Ruccola (Rocket)
-tomatoes
-Pamesan shavings

Figure 18a

Figure 18b

Figure 18

 Pizza Ricotta and Potatoes Fig 19 (a-c)
-Ricotta
-Provolone
-Cooked potatoes
-Pancetta slices

Figure 19a

Figure 19b

Figure 19

Figure 19c