I don’t think pizza falls into the luxury food category and yet I’m sure the price of supermarket pizza has steadily risen over the last few years.
There appears to be a correlation between the price increase and the fanciness of the toppings. Ham and pineapple is being ousted in favour of caramelised onion and goat’s cheese. It’s still just pizza though and a drizzle of balsamic glaze won’t convince me to pay more than £5 for something I’m going to eat at home in my pyjamas.
You can make a pizza from scratch in about an hour from start to finish and it is a fraction of the price of its supermarket cousin. Plus you will be filled with the warm, smug feeling that comes from being a domestic goddess, however briefly.
The recipe below is a guide only, you can freestyle, but I do have a few good tips. When it comes to the base try to use a Ciabatta bread mix rather than a specific pizza mix. Definitely don’t use the pre-cooked bases that taste like cardboard and could be used in an Olympic discus event. Always cook the tomato base first, don’t just sling passata on top. Finally, don’t go too heavy on the cheese or else you will end up with one molten layer of mozzarella which will probably burn the roof of your mouth.
This recipe is totally inauthentic but I think authenticity is massively overrated.
Ingredients
(serves 4)
250g Ciabatta bread mix
Warm water and olive oil
1x onion finely chopped
1 tsp honey
1 tsp dried mixed herbs
1 tbsp tomato puree
4 rashers of bacon, chopped (optional)
1x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
1x 125g ball of mozzarella
Toppings of your choice (courgettes, peppers, salami, caramelised onions, blanched spinach, an egg; whatever floats your boat basically)
Directions
Make the dough according to the instructions on the pack. The instructions vary but usually you just need to add warm water and olive oil, mix to a dough, knead it for a minute then roll the base out onto the baking tray you will be using. Leave the base to rise in a warm place. It is much, much easier to make a square pizza than a round one.
Whilst the base rises make the tomato sauce. Fry the onion in some olive oil, add the honey and dried herbs and fry for a couple of minutes until the onion starts to colour. Add the bacon and fry until it is cooked. Add the tomato puree and then the tinned tomatoes and let this sauce simmer and reduce for 20 minutes or so.
Assemble your pizza in the conventional way (for the nervous cook that’s tomato sauce on top of base, followed by cheese and any toppings). These pizzas take a bit longer in the oven than the ready-made type, around 30 minutes at 200c, but do keep an eye on it.
Bon appetit!
Like this? Why not check out Laura Silver's recipe for homemade pizza, as well?