Pizza

Once you've made your own pizza from scratch, you will know how enjoyable it is to make and eat.
It's seriously good. :) My pizza dough is half the quantity of my basic loaf recipe for a 12 inch round pizza. It's plenty for 2 people. It doesn't take as long as you may think. I got home at 5:30pm today and had this pizza dinner at 7pm. Actually, it's a de-stress exercise as you need to punch the dough to make the pizza's lovely chewy texture. :)    Anyway, once you make the pizza dough, the topping options are endless.
My topping list tonight is as follows.

• Caramelised onion (cook the thin sliced onion with olive oil for 15 minutes with low-heat. Splash with  balsamic vinegar at the end)
• Roasted vegetables (aubergine and courgette roasted in the oven with olive oil)
• Mushrooms
• Anchovies
• Green olives
• Low-fat Mozzarella cheese
• Tomato paste (It works well if you don't have time to cook tomato sauce. I always use this.)

Ingredients  
for 12in round Pizza dough

• 250g Strong Bread flour 
• 3.5g sachet fast-action dried yeast (1 tsp)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp dried mixed herbs 
• up to 175ml lukewarm water
• 
  

Method

1. Make the dough by tipping the flour, yeast, salt and dried herbs into a large bowl and making a well in the middle. Pour in most of the water and use your fingers or a wooden spoon to mix the flour and water together until combined to a slightly wet, pillowy, workable dough - add a splash more water if necessary. Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for at least 10 mins until smooth and elastic. This can also be done in a tabletop mixer with a dough hook. Place the dough in a clean oiled bowl, cover with cling film and leave to rise until doubled in size.
2. Heat oven to 220C/ fan 200C/ gas 7. Knock back the dough by tipping it back onto a floured surface and pushing the air out. Stretch the dough on the pizza oven plate. Cover it with the oiled cling film. Then leave it for about 10 mins. 
3. Bake the dough on the oven proof pizza plate for 15 mins.
4. Take the dough out of the oven and spread the tomato paste, then put toppings on the dough
5. Bake the pizza for another 10 minutes or so until the cheese begins to bubble.