A good excuse to stay in (Breakfast Pizza)

This pizza base recipe will mean that you will never want to go out for pizza again! Well, maybe not never - you might be too lazy to cook or you might live around the corner from an amazing pizza shop, for example, in Naples or Leichhardt.

However, this puts your home-made pizza into a different league - thin, crispy, puffy base.

The one rule is - do not overload your pizza with topping - eventhough you may be tempted - the base will not crisp up.

This recipe shows how to make it the night before  but you can use it the same night as well...

Makes 8 small and 4 large pizzas - you can keep the remaining dough in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Ingredients

Base

700ml White Bread Flour (I like to replace 200ml of the bread flour for 200mL semolina if I have it handy - it makes a crispier crust)
1 tsp salt
2 tsp Instant yeast
1-2 tbsp olive oil

Tomato Base

1 small 50g can tomato paste
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic
1-2 teaspoons ready made pesto (if you have in the fridge or freezer) or 1 teaspoon dried italian herbs
Salt and pepper


Toppings
Black forest ham
Olives
Peppadews
Grated cheese
Feta (crumbled)
Eggs

Put all the Base ingredients into the bowl of your mixer and attach the dough hook

Start to mix with a dough hook. Add up to 1-1 1/2 cups more lukewarm water
until the dough comes together and pulls away from the side of the mixer. Mix for a further 5 min until the dough is smooth and supple.

This is not supple.....

This is supple (notice the smooth surface when you stretch the dough).

[If you don't have a dough hook mix by hand until the ingredients form a dough. Turn out onto a clean surface and knead until the dough is supple]

 

Form into a large ball. Drop a little olive oil on the surface and then spread over the surface of the bowl.

Cover loosely with clingfilm or an upside down plate and place in the
fridge overnight.


[If you want to use it the same night, cover with a tea towel damp with warm water and place in your oven. Switch the oven on as low as possible - no more than 50 degrees for 1-1 1/2 hours until doubled in size]

  

The next morning, (or after it has risen) shape into balls and let rest with some clingfilm loosely over it for 20-30 min in a reasonably warm place. While the dough is resting, preheat the oven to as high as it goes(250 or above) with an upside down baking sheet(or a pizza stone if you are lucky enough to have one) inside as it is heating up. This is essential.

[Be warned - if the oven is not very hot or you don't leave the baking tray inside, the pizza base will not puff up nicely]

 

Notice that the dough goes a bit puffy - this is good.

 

 Place some flour on a clean counter and flour your rolling pin (or a clean empty wine bottle). Roll out the dough to about 2-4mm thickness.

Place on a lightly oiled sheet of aluminum foil.

Mix together the ingredients for the tomato base.

Use a brush or the back of a spoon to spread a thin layer over the base.

 Add your toppings - remember less is more.

Perhaps some black forest ham

Olives -you should pit and slice these...

Peppadews....or roast red peppers

 

 Crumble some fetta

And some grated cheese

 

Et voila

Fold the edges of the foil up slightly to stop any run away eggs.

Once the oven is hot, open it and put the pizza and aluminum foil straight onto the baking tray in the oven. Crack an egg carefully on top of the pizza. Close the oven as quickly as possible.

 

 Watch the pizza bubble up nicely. Remove when edges are slightly brown.

  

Repeat with remaining dough.


[If you run out of toppings you can brush with olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper and italian herbs]