Pizza, Enough Said

The time to shelter from the cold by a fire and watch your favourite movie with a glass of wine is now. The perfect meal for this night is indisputably a thin crust pizza. Pizza has existed since at least 997CE, when it was first documented. Antica Pizzeria Port'Alba in Naples is widely believed to be the world's first Pizzeria, opening in 1830.

I recently took it upon myself to take our regular Pizza and Wine Nights to the next level by making pizza from scratch!

Ingredients:

-300g Strong Bread Flour

-1tsp Yeast

-1tsp Salt

-1 tbsp Olive Oil

-100 ml Tomato Purée

-1 Handful of Fresh basil

-1 Garlic clove

-125g Mozzarella

-Sun Dried Tomatoes

-Olives

I started with the base: I added the flour and yeast to a large mixing bowl and mixed well.

I then made a well in the mix, added 2 cups of room temperature water and the oil. I mixed well until the dough turned soft and was fairly wet.

Next I turned the ball of dough onto a floured surface.

I kneaded the the dough for about 5 minutes. To knead I spread the dough with the palm of my hand roll it back up and do it again and again. I also turn it back into a ball, lift it off the surface and throw it down. After 5 minutes the dough should be smooth. I then set the ball of dough aside and covered it with a clean cloth.

Next I made the sauce. I hopped a handful of basil and garlic and added it to a small bowl with the tomato purée and mixed. I then set the sauce aside.

The next step was to take the ball of dough and divide it in half. I placed one of the balls on a floured surface and rolled it out.

Using a rolling pin, I rolled the dough until it was extremely thin. To make a circle I placed my rolling pin in the centre of the flat dough and rolled it around the edge like a clock face. I then repeated the process with the other ball of dough. Although not perfect they both came out at least circular.

I placed the flat dough on separate baking trays and topped with the tomato sauce. I used the bottom of a spoon to spread it.

Creativity is needed to top the pizzas. I opted for Mozzarella, Pancetta, Sun Dried Tomatoes, Olives and Basil, but any toppings would suffice!.

I placed the pizzas in a preheated 240 degree Celsius (460 degrees Fahrenheit) oven for 8 minutes.

The result was a crisp and delicious pizza that was easy to make. I'm positive this will become a regular meal in our household.

A quick tip for all lovers of cold pizza: it would definitely be worth making a third pizza simply to leave in the fridge as leftovers. It is incredible cold!