Cookery lessons for Abitrary...

[Pete]

...just that I feel it ain't right, it's heart-wrenching and all that, this poor lad having to shell out £11.98 a throw, from his hard-earned dosh, for a measly old pizza which hasn't even got the toppings he wants.... Can we collectively help the poor chap out? Just for starters, teach him, through this forum, how to make his own pizzas and save ££££££££££££s!

Come on then Ab, tell us: what you like eating, what you want to spend, what's in your kitchen, how much time you want to spend, etc. etc...

 

[Crackle]

Pizza dough - Flour, water and yeast, that's it.

This will make 3-4 large thin pizzas.

550g of 'strong' flour or healthy version of half white, half spelt
teaspoon of dried yeast
250-350ml of lukewarm water (too hot and you'll kill the yeast)
Salt and pepper to taste
2tblspoons olive oil
optional honey

-put 150ml of the lukewarm water in a bowl and add the yeast - leave 10 mins)
-put the flour, salt and pepper in a bowl and sift. Add the olive oil (and honey)
- make a well in the centre, add the yeast water.
- Mix together adding the rest of the water slowly until you have the right consistency. Use your hands or a mixer with bread attachments.
- Once mixed, out on to a floured board and kneed for 10 mins.
- Back into the bowl and leave somewhere warm for an hour or so until it's risen (doubled in size)
- Once risen, take out and kneed
- tear off some chunks and role out to suit.

Pizza base - A jar of Napolina's sauce, your own puree, mustard, ketchup mix or you can make your own with sun dried tomatoes and garlic etc.... Go for the jar. Add toppings to suit.

Stick in oven on upturned baking tray at 200C for 10 mins

Result, guaranteed lovely pizzas. Cost around £1-£2 each

 

[Arch]

I don't generally get pre-mixes for things, but I got a box of pizza base mix from Morrisons for about 50 - enough to do 2 10" bases (so I'll get 4 5" ones for just me). Dead simple, just add warm water, knead, roll out, allow to stand and rise a bit. Top with tomato purree and whatever toppings you want, then cheese. I think bread bases are one time I would use a mix, just because it's easier than faffing about with yeaxst - not that it's really a problem, I just don't generally have it in the cupboard...

 

[abchandler]

enough to do 2 10" bases (so I'll get 4 5" ones for just me).

Assuming they're the same thickness, won't you get 8?

 

[Arch]

Assuming they're the same thickness, won't you get 8?

<brain chugs into life>

Er...

Yeah, probably. I think actually, I meant I'll just use half each sachet for an individual pizza, so it'll be more than 5".

Yes, that was it. I thought of 5" at first because that would fit in my Remoska cooker, but then the half sachet made a bigger base, so I used the big oven...

Anyway, it was a good pizza, and well loaded with toppings!

 

[TheDoctor]

<brain chugs into life>

Er...

Yeah, probably. I think actually, I meant I'll just use half each sachet for an individual pizza, so it'll be more than 5".

Just worked it out with the pi r squared nonsense. You'd have made a 7 inch pizza with half the mix for a 10 inch one.

*vows to get a better job. And a life...*

 

[jashburnham]

Problem with homeade pizza's is that your standard oven won't do 370c whic is the sort of temp you need to recreate that proper woodfired pizza experience.

 

[Cycling Naturalist]

Problem with homeade pizza's is that your standard oven won't do 370c whic is the sort of temp you need to recreate that proper woodfired pizza experience.

Arch hastens out to ancient wood with axe and a determined expression.

 

[jashburnham]

I jest - well actually I don't... Pizza, like curry is one of the few meals that I've found impossible to recreate at home. No matter how hard I try I cannot replicate the taste of my local Indian's Chicken Madras (mmm guilty pleasure). It's the same with Pizza, the homemade ones are nice but they're just not the same!

 

[Crackle]

I jest - well actually I don't... Pizza, like curry is one of the few meals that I've found impossible to recreate at home. No matter how hard I try I cannot replicate the taste of my local Indian's Chicken Madras (mmm guilty pleasure). It's the same with Pizza, the homemade ones are nice but they're just not the same!

Oh I dunno. If you get a pizza from a good Italian, I agree. The stuff you get from Pizza Hut and Dominoes though is a bit syntheticy, with industrialized dough and sauces. It is a matter of personal taste though.

Indians are a different matter: Haven't cracked a good Indian yet, though I know it's possible because I've had a few good home cooked curry's, just not cooked by me

 

[frog]

Aren't we getting a bit advanced here? What's wrong with a boiled egg to start with?

At least that's only 100 degrees. You lot want to start him off with a dish which needs 375 degrees.

Beans on toast and boiled egg with soldiers. Once he's reasonably consistant with them then we'll let him near the oven

 

[Cycling Naturalist]

I jest - well actually I don't... Pizza, like curry is one of the few meals that I've found impossible to recreate at home. No matter how hard I try I cannot replicate the taste of my local Indian's Chicken Madras (mmm guilty pleasure). It's the same with Pizza, the homemade ones are nice but they're just not the same!

There's a paperback called (?) The Curry Secret Cookbook which we've got at home. It contains the Indian restaurant recipes and it produces spot on results.

 

[Pete]

At least that's only 100 degrees. You lot want to start him off with a dish which needs 375 degrees.

I think you're confusing °F with °C here. Our combi microwave goes up to 220C which is plenty hot enough for a pizza. 375C would produce charcoal. 375F is about 190C which sounds about right.

 

[Pete]

Can't remember the exact details of our standard veggie pizza, will check quantities tonight, but it's more or less this. As I said in the other thread, we buy pizza bases from Tescos (about £2 for a pack of two large bases - a big saving already!). We make our own loaf bread and chapattis, but other sorts of bread: we buy.

This makes a fairly thick, moist pizza, best eaten off a plate with knife and fork. There are endless possible variations on this formula, of course...

1 red onion sliced.
1-2 cloves garlic crushed.
1-2 green chillies chopped (or more, to taste )
1 tin chopped tomatoes (or about 14 oz fresh, chopped).
1 red pepper sliced.
about 4-6 lumps frozen spinach (can't remember weight, will look up)
2-3 mushrooms sliced.
Handful of olives (optional).
4-6 oz grated cheese (cheddar, or mix 2 or more hard cheese varieties)
1 tsp oregano.
Salt and pepper.
Oil for frying.
1 12" pizza base
Olive oil.

Fry the onions, garlic, chilli, in a wide frying pan: when soft add tomatoes, spinach, red pepper, oregano, seasoning. Simmer until all the spinach has unfrozen and mixture is well cooked into a thick sauce. Brush olive oil on base, spoon on mixture, lay out sliced mushrooms and olives in a pattern, put cheese in a heap in middle, and into the oven at about 220C for about 15 minutes. Serve hot.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

I think you're confusing °F with °C here. Our combi microwave goes up to 220C which is plenty hot enough for a pizza. 375C would produce charcoal. 375F is about 190C which sounds about right.

Actually you are wrong, Pete - most Italian pizza is produced from ovens that are at least 400°C in use, but for very short periods. That is exactly the point, and why you can't make proper pizza at home, except perhaps in an outside clay-oven (the only place I have ever made proper pizza).

See the sources at the bottom of this page:

http://hypertextbook.com/facts/2003/SaraElzeftawy.shtml