Mamma Mia!

“Mamma Mia… here I go again! My, my, how can I resist you?
Mamma Mia, does it show again? My, my just how much I missed you!
Yeeeees I’ve been broken heart-“ – Oops… I seem to have gone a little of track there! Sorry, was not talking about the hit ABBA song when I said Mamma Mia!

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Rather, I was twirling a fake Italian moustache while patting my large stomach hiding under a big, red and white checked cloth. You get my image no? No? Oh that’s good because I really don’t look like that… 😉

(Also sorry you had to hear that high pitched, awful ‘Yeees’  😛 – not everyone can pull it off you know!)

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But back to it, why was I unsuccessfully trying to twirl dough and flip it to high heaven when I can’t even do it with a basketball? Because when you are making pizza that is just what you do!

Every amateur, professional or first timer like myself knows that 😀

I imagined myself there, the scent of freshly brewed espresso filling my nostrils from next door, as customer after customer gulped it down, not getting even a drop on those Giorgio Brutini suits. There I was, in a small homely kitchen with a wood fired pizza oven, sweating slightly as I swore every time the heat blasted out at me on collecting the pizza.

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Aaaah the smell. Aaaah the ambience. Ahhh the look of delight on each customer’s face as they took that first bite into each, cheesy, deliciously doughy piece of heaven.

Handmada pizza from scratch.

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Put that love in the dough, in the sauce and when you are sprinkling those ingredients on top, sprinkle some love too.

My changes are in bold 🙂

Utterly Homemade Pizza
Source: Mastering The Art Of Baking

Ingredients:

Dough:

  • Large pinch of caster sugar
  • 250ml lukewarm water
  • 7g dried yeast
  • 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
  • 350g plain flour
  • 1 ½ tsp salt

Tomato Sauce:

  • 1 tbs olive oil
  • 3 tbs – ¼ cup parmesan cheese, shredded
  • 1 small brown red onion, finely chopped
  • 1 tbs concentrated tomato puree (tomato paste)
  • 400g tin chopped tomatoes (mine were not chopped but you can mush them up easily in the sauce they are so soft)
  • ·      Small handful of basil leaves 1-2 tsp Italian herbs (mixed)
  • ·      1 ½ tsp salt
  • ·      Sprinkle of pepper

Book Topping:

  • 300g mozzarella cheese
  • 200g Italian style salami
  • 200g cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 50g rocket leaves

My Topping (better :P)

  • 200g mixed pizza cheese (Parmesan, mozzarella, cheddar by Perfect Italiano = Best!)
  • 200g Danish feta (mine turned out to be quite a salty feta so taste it before you add it – if it is too salty, add maybe 125-150g worth on the pizza)
  • 200g cherry tomatoes, washed and halved
  • 5-6 large slivers of sundried tomatoes
  • 1 super large capsicum, cubed
  • Mixed Italian herbs
  • 50g rocket, washed and dried completely (water and cheese = NO!)

Method:

Dough:

  1. Combine sugar and 125ml water in a bowl
  2. Sprinkle over the yeast and set aside for 7-8 minutes or until foamy
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  3. Stir in oil and remaining water
  4. Add in flour and salt and then use your hands to mix it into a course dough
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  5. Turn onto a lightly floured work surface (flour hands) and knead for 8 minutes or till elastic
  6. Transfer to a large, well-oiled bowl, turning it to coat in oil
  7. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm, draught free place for 1 hour or until doubled in size

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Tomato Sauce:

  1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat
  2. Add onions and cook stirring often for 5-6 minutes or till softened
  3. Add the tomato paste (it may hiss!) and stir for 1 minute
  4. Add in the canned tomatoes and reduce heat to low
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  5. Cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes or until thickened slightly (mash the tomatoes with the back of the spoon if they are not cut up)
  6. While cooking, stir through salt, pepper and parmesan and stir until mixed through thoroughly and parmesan has melted into the sauce
  7. Cool then stir through mixed herbs
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Assemble:

  1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C
  2. Knock back the dough with just one punch and then turn onto a lightly floured surface
  3. Divide into 4 equal portions (I did mine in 2)
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  4. Roll each portion into a bowl and working with one at a time, use a rolling pin to roll out in a 22cm diameter
  5. Transfer to a well oiled baking tray (Be careful lifting it since it will be thin, it could rip easily)
  6. Divide the tomato sauce between the pizzas, leaving a 1cm border
  7. Book Topping: Scatter the thinly sliced mozzarella, salami and tomatoes over the pizzas
  8. My Topping: Scatter over the capsicum, feta and cherry tomatoes. Using your hands, cut slivers from the sundried tomatoes and place all over the pizzas. Generously top with pizza cheese (but do not completely cover the pizza toppings)

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  9. Bake each pizza for 12-15 minutes (mine took 8-9 minutes!) or until dough is gold and sauce is slightly bubbling on the edges
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  10. Serve immediately, garnished with rocket

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I would just like to say to you all that my senior year has also officially started so please do not miss me if I am a little MIA 😉

Business before pleasure right (whoever came up with that, DAMN YOU!)

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104 Comments

  3. Kim Bultman says:

    I’ve never tried flinging pizza dough into the air (mostly because my kitchen ceiling is low) but this post is making me want to! Your sauce & toppings on that golden crust… Mamma Mia indeed! Best wishes on your senior year, Uru!

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  4. Susan says:

    Oh my gosh, is there anything better than a homemade pizza? This looks so delicious and perfect for the energy to put your nose to the school grindstone, so to speak 🙂

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  6. dianeskitchentable says:

    Now that looks great! My husband was begging for some homemade pizza yesterday so I whipped up my white pizza (no tomato sauce). It was a great dinner but now I’ve got plenty for lunches. I’ve never tried feta on mine, but that’s a great idea.

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  11. Jennifer Eloff says:

    Good job with the pizza. You are such an accomplished young person in the kitchen. I could do nothing practically at your age. 😉 I was not allowed to play in the kitchen. Only later in life did I find my vocation. I tried physiotherapy….ugh!

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  17. susartandfood says:

    You had me at feta. My favorite cheese. We just bought several chubs of the best feta and ate it over two months. I’m sure my cholesterol must have gone up a notch or two. Great pics. Looks fabulous.

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  20. Ali says:

    Whata vibrant and energetic post! Loved it. Maybe I should try making my own pizza base, I haven’t done that for years! Your pizza looks delicious! All the best with your final year at school xx

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  22. applec says:

    Welcome to the pizza party. I’ve been cooking up some varieties of these delicious pies all week. From basic margherita to Banana Cinnamon Breakfast pizza. The final two will be posted Saturday.

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  23. Monet says:

    Now I’m singing and craving pizza! Thank you for sharing…and for your kind and generous words. I hope you have a beautiful weekend with good food and friends.

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  24. cakewhiz says:

    uru! this pizza looks incredible…i make my own pizza sauce too and just the same way as you. it’s so much better than the store bought stuff…

    good luck in your senior year 🙂

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  26. girlinafoodfrenzy says:

    Oh wow and oh yum! Homemade pizza is a favourite of mine and I love making them and eating them. Yours looks truly delicious and amazeball’s!

    Thank goodness it’s cooled down slightly and it’s baking time again in Sydney too 🙂

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  34. Balvinder says:

    You must have been reading my mind. This week I am craving for pizza but I was not in a mood to make it. But now looking at your flavorful,scrumptious summer type pizza with arugula, feta and sun dried tomato i have changed my mind. It will be pizza night tomorrow.

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  38. Beth says:

    Oh my gosh, your pizza looks amazing. I’ve been reading pizza dough recipes lately and I’m thinking about trying one. I’ve never made pizza dough before, but I can’t wait to try!

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  40. Nami | Just One Cookbook says:

    I’m afraid my dough won’t rise, that’s been my fear…but I really, REALLY, want to make pizza from scratch one day! This looks scrumptious Uru!

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  42. Rita cooks Italian (@ritacooksitalia) says:

    Pizza is my favourite Sunday night meal! I love the way you prepared your dough from scratch (like a true Italian lady!!). I am lazy and do not cook the tomatoes before adding them to the base (I use passata which is sweeter and I get away with it!!) Rocket e salami is my favourite but the feta cheese sounds D E L I C I O U S. Brava

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  48. jlaceda says:

    Absolutely divine pizza!!!! Aaaahhh…! You make me want to abandon my no-carb diet for now! Oh well, just a few more days / weeks of no carbs, and I will be back to indulge in yummy things like this in no time! Ahem, of course, in moderation! Pizza heaven…!

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  55. john@kitchenriffs says:

    Homemade pizza is such fun to make. Best of all, you can really top it the way you like it. About that tossing and twirling thing, though? Let’s just say I’ll only do it when the floor is freshly scrubbed. 😉 Fun post – thanks.

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  60. TammyeHoney says:

    Now I am craving pizza soooo bad as I have a fridge full of fresh food…ugh…my bad and have a song stuck in my head…thank you so much for your recipe…have to find a place to get caster sugar.

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  66. A_Boleyn says:

    You really had me going there … I could picture you (sans mustache) twirling your pizza dough before building your pizza and baking it. All the ingredients look really tasty … I like Macedonian feta since it’s fairly inexpensive at the city market and not overly salty especially if crumbled and sprinkled over the pizza. I also thought the addition of rocket (arugula) was a great idea. Made it easier to pretend the pizza was healthy. 🙂

    You’ve got a pretty efficient oven if it can bake the pizza thoroughly in 8-9 minutes at 350 deg F. 🙂 I’ve been tempted by perforated pizza pans like yours but sticking to my old black pan.

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  69. Chef Randall says:

    Looks very tasty CCU. This post of How-To was great. I think I am going to go and get a pizza. 🙂

    How was your trip to India by the way?

    Thanks for sharing. As always I appreciate your comments and readership at Savor the Food.

    Chef Randall
    savorthefood.wordpress.com

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  71. gottagetbaked says:

    lol, I love the vivid pictures you paint with your words, Uru. I wish I was in Italy, sipping espresso and eating fresh wood-fired pizza. And of course you need to twirl the dough when you make pizza! Regardless of whether it falls on the floor (which it would for me). This looks wonderful – I love fresh homemade pizza.

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  74. Saguna says:

    This homemade pizza is amazing, and you are awesome for risking life, limb and blasts from the oven to make it for everyone! 🙂 I have multiple oven burns from this sort of feverish oven activity, it’s a dangerous business being a food blogger. 😉

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  84. viveka says:

    Uru, you’re so good …. your passion is out of this world. I do home made pizzas, from a bought frozen pizza with mozzarella and spinach .. then I fill it up with bacon, mushrooms, red onion .. fresh tomato and basil. Nearly home made. *smile
    This looks so good … but doing from scratch will never happen – would love a big piece of yours here. You could open a cafe – I think I said that before. I do the washing up. *smile

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  88. Geni says:

    That is the most deliciously gorgeous pizza EVER! You are amazing! Love YOUR choice of topping and you crust looks perfect. And now I have Mama Mia stuck in my head. Thank you for that. 😉

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  91. navane64 says:

    This is so good. You know I am not much of a dessert person so I love your mamma mia. I must try because I have never made pizza before and it will be a great experience making and eating the yummy version.

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  95. Acacia says:

    Wow! Your pizza looks scrummy! I love the feta crumpled on top. We have a large outdoors pizza oven and we like to fill our rolled crusts with feta cheese, maybe an idea for your next fabulous pizza, No?

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