There’s no such thing as a bad pizza. Well, actually, I’m sure there is but you’d be hard pressed to find pizza that is so bad you wouldn’t want to eat it. There’s a reason why it’s one of the most popular foods in the world. But sometimes it can be a bit intimidating to make from scratch at home – but it needn’t be! It can be as quick and simple or as complicated as you like, and here are three different ways you can make pizza:
Method 1: Using a flour tortilla as a base – controversial, since I’m sure Italians and Mexicans alike would say that you’re not supposed to use them for pizza, but if you want something thin and crispy that will cook in less than 5 minutes, then there’s fewer things better.
Method 2: Making a base using 2 ingredients – making pizza dough can sometimes be a bit off-putting, especially if you’re a newbie to baking. But by just using self-raising flour and yoghurt, you can create a dough that is light, chewy and fluffy as the base for your pizza. It’s a really great option if you’re short on time, and the best thing is you can make it in a pan and in 20 minutes.
Method 3: Making everything from scratch – the old adage goes, “good things come to those who wait” and while the aforementioned methods do prove you can have good things quickly too, the best results are arguably making the dough and the sauce from scratch, and this isn’t as hard as you think! It just requires time.
For consistency, these will all be pepperoni pizzas, but feel free to use whatever toppings you like.
Pizza 3 Ways
Print RecipeIngredients
- For 5-minute pizza:
- 1 Flour Tortilla
- 5 Tbsp Passata
- Parmesan Cheese, grated
- Pepperoni (or other toppings of your choice)
- For 20-minute pizza:
- 225g Self-Raising Flour
- 225g Greek Yoghurt
- Passata
- Mozzarella Cheese, fresh or grated
- Parmesan Cheese, grated
- Pepperoni (or other toppings of your choice)
- For pizza from scratch:
- 250g '00' Pasta Flour
- 7g Yeast
- 5g Salt
- 25ml Olive Oil
- 165ml Warm Water
- 1 x Onion
- 2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
- 2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
- 2 x Garlic Cloves
- Handful of Fresh Basil
- Splash of milk
- Pinch of Salt
- Knob of butter
- Olive oil
- Mozzarella Cheese, fresh or grated
- Parmesan Cheese, grated
- Cheddar Cheese, grated
- Pepperoni (or other toppings of your choice)
- Semolina for dusting
Instructions
5-minute pizza:Place a flour tortilla onto a baking tray, put on a thin layer of passata, a generous grating of parmesan cheese, and the pepperoni (or whatever toppings you desire).
Place under a grill on a high heat and grill for 3 - 4 minutes or until bubbling, golden brown and crispy. Enjoy!
20-minute pizza:
For the 20-minute pizza, in a bowl combine together the flour and yoghurt into a a loose dough, then turn out onto a floured surface and bring together into a smoother, slightly sticky dough.
Oil a frying pan, and stretch out the dough to fit the pan. A smaller pan will give you a thicker base, a smaller pan will give you a thinner base.
Put on a layer of passata, add parmesan cheese, and mozzarella cheese. If you're using fresh mozzarella, be sure to drain and dry thoroughly first. Add your toppings.
Over a medium heat, cook the pizza for 5 minutes or until the base starts to go brown and crisp.
Place under a grill on a high heat and cook for 5 minutes or until the toppings are golden brown and bubbling. Enjoy!
Pizza from scratch:
In a stand mixer, or large bowl, add in the pasta flour, yeast on one side of the bowl, salt on the other side of the bowl, olive oil and a little bit of the water. Start to bring together on a medium speed if using a stand mixer.
Gradually add the rest of the water, until it forms a loose dough - it may be slightly sticky. If using a stand mixer, put on a medium-high speed and knead for 10 minutes. If using your hands, tip out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes.
Cover and leave to prove for an hour or until doubled in size.
For the sauce, peel, halve and thinly slice an onion.
Place a pan over a medium heat and add a knob of butter and a splash of olive oil.
When the butter has melted, add in the onions, stir into the butter and then cover and leave to sweat down and become more translucent. Stir occasionally.
After 10 minutes, add in brown sugar and balsamic vinegar, stir in and then cover again and leave to cook and go sticky and jammy. Stir occasionally.
Once the onions have become sticky and jammy, leave to cool for 5 minutes, and then place into a food processor along with the chopped tomatoes, garlic cloves, basil, milk and salt. Blitz into a smooth sauce and leave to cool.
Pre-heat oven to 220°C/425°F/Gas Mark 6. Place your baking stone or tray in to heat up. If using a baking tray, be sure to line it with baking paper first.
Once the dough has doubled in size, turn out onto a surface dusted with semolina and stretch or roll out to your desired size.
At this stage, if you're transferring to the oven using a pizza peel, transfer it to the peel making sure it's well dusted with semolina. If you don't have a peel, then a large tray should work.
Add a thin layer of your cooled tomato sauce onto the pizza base, then add the parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, and cheddar cheese.
Add your toppings, then carefully transfer into the oven straight onto the hot baking stone or tray and bake for 8 - 10 minutes until the pizza is crispy, golden and bubbling. Enjoy!
