Pizza is a tasteful snack popularized in Nigeria by some famous pizza restaurants such as Dominos Pizza, and Debonairs pizza. Eating pizza in restaurants can be interesting but making it at home can be more interesting and prepared according to your exact taste.
Just like anything being done the first time, the more you make pizza, the more you learn about the tips and techniques that will suit your taste. There are various types of pizza based on dough thickness and toppings added to the dough. Popular ones are Mozzarella Pizza, Pepperoni pizza, Mushroom and Sausage Pizza, Paneer Pizza, etc.
Ingredients:
- Fine flour
- One or two teaspoons of corn flour
- Yeast
- Salt
- Sugar
- Vegetable oil
- Mozzarella cheese
- Baking powder
- Tomato Puree
- Citric acid
- Meat: Beef, Chicken, etc.
- Chopped onions, red and green bell pepper
Steps
There are many steps to making homemade pizza, but we have highlighted some very simple ways to help you kickstart your own journey.
Step 1: Make the pizza dough.
Pizza is as good and enjoyable as the texture of the dough. In a bowl, add the fine flour into a dough kneading plate. Next, add salt and baking powder in it and sieve the flour once. After which, add 1 teaspoon of oil to it. In another bowl, take a little warm water and mix the yeast in it along, then add 1 teaspoon of sugar. Mix well and keep aside for 10-15 minutes for it to act on the sugar and rise.
Once the yeast has risen, add it to the flour and knead the dough nicely using some water. Keep this dough aside for 4-6 hours for the yeast to work on it, making it rise.
If making a pizza dough can be tasking for you, you can buy ready made pizza dough from stores that sell them. You can also order online.
Step 2: Prepare a Pizza Sauce
A pizza sauce is a combination of tomato puree, garlic, onions, and spices as you like. Tomato purée can be purchased from stores or homemade. Tomato purée is made by mixing ripe tomatoes, red scotch bonnet pepper (ata rodo), salt, and citric acid (like lemon juice) using a blender or food processor.
Step 3: Flatten the Pizza Dough
Knead the dough you have prepared once again. Now, the pizza dough is ready. Flour the smooth surface with the flour and flatten the dough using a rolling pin or your hands, until it’s flat enough with a smooth feel.
Dust the pizza pan with some cornmeal, place the flattened dough on the pan, and continue to push the dough until it reaches the size of the pan. Make sure the dough reaches around the edge for the crust. Now leave this to rest for about 5 minutes before adding the toppings.
Step 4: Prepare and Add Toppings
Spread the tomato puree on the surface of the flattened dough. After which you add all the remaining toppings you have decided to use. Toppings can be added to pizza raw or cooked. Cooking them before will create deeper flavours, while cooking them during will create more simple ones. The type of toppings you use is dependent on your choice.
The most usually used cheese is mozzarella; low moisture mozzarella has the best feel.
Popular vegetables include spring onions/onions, sweet corn, and others. Shredded chicken, minced meat, roasted chopped meat, diced sausage, shrimp, gizzard, and other meats can be used. Pre-cooking meat, such as sausage, dries it out, but cooking it on the pizza makes it more soft and moist.
Step 5: Bake the Dough
Preheat your oven to a temperature of 280 degrees Celsius.
Put this pizza pan in a baking tray and place it inside the oven. Let the pizza bake for about 10 minutes at a temperature of 250 degrees Celsius.. Once done, take out the baking tray and slice the pizza.
Fun Facts:
- Pizza can also be baked in a toaster oven, in a non-stick pan, in a sheet pan, or on a grill.
- A low moisture mozzarella cheese has better moisture and it sticks very well, than other types of mozzarella cheese.
- Pizza is best when it is still hot; however, it is still advisable to allow it to cool for a few minutes to prevent burns.