General Pizza tips & Quick Questions

newleaf

Just had a quick skim through this thread, apologies if it has already been mentioned, but I like to add a teaspoon of dried chilli flakes to my pizza dough. Gives it a nice kick. I keep the topping simple, sauce plus just two things from the following list; pepper, artichoke, mushroom, pepperoni, olives, tuna, anchovy, then a little grated mozzarella. Perfection.

lil_me

Ewww anchovies, I can't even pick them up, I had to use gloves or tweezers when working in the pizza shop to put them on, ewwww! They're all fuzzy! (I don't like Tuna or Olives either, guess I am just fussy but anchovies make me cringe! )

I found my dough was a little 'wet' aswell and stuck to everything, might need to reduce water a little too.

Definately sounds like too hot, I put it in an oven at 220 to rise and then cook, just remembered, no wonder it went like that I am sure my brain is in neutral sometimes.

Actually, Newcastle isn't too far from me, next time can I call you and just collect them, be like a HM takeaway :rotfl:

Right, the kids are going to be sick of pizzas by the end of it but I will get this right! Eventually :rotfl:

Pipkin

Home made pizza is just the best, we have it once a week now, usually on a friday as that is grocery shopping day, which means getting home late.

dolly_day_dream

Home made pizza is my 'free meal' cos I go through the fridge on a Thursday night to find anything that needs chucking (bin men come on Friday). These are then my topppings for Friday's pizza. I have had the problem of putting too much topping on our pizzas and it going soggy. I was reading Jamie Oliver's Italy in the library yesterday, he says to buy a piece of granite to fit into your oven and cook the pizza on that.

I only use tom puree watered down a little for my base sauce as DS, who used to work in Pizza Hut, says that is what they use. DS's pizza is then topped with some mozzerella which I buy in as big a bag as I can and freeze into pizza size portions. Mine just has plenty of garlic added. BTW I make up the dough by hand cos it is just soo easy. Now all I need to do is get myself organised and make some up in advance and freeze them so that they are available at a moments notice.

mustafa_say_ving

Saturday night is our pizza night.

For the tomato base I use this....... it makes enough for about 8 Pizzas ( 4 large and 4 medium ) so that's a large one for me & DH to share and a medium one for 2 DDs to share

1 carrot
2 sticks celery
1 onion
4 cloves garlic

These are blitzed up in the magimix( 'till really quite small) then sauted & sweated down in olive oil.

I then add
2 tins of tomatoes
1 tin of tomatoe puree
sugar ( to taste).....I use about 1 desertspoon
S & P
Fresh or dried basil .....whatever's to hand

I then cook this for about 1/2 hour ( until it's really reduced down & the veggies are barely noticable....IYSWIM)

Once it's cooled I then freeze into 4 portions ( each portion makes 1 lrg & 1 med Pizza).

gargoyle

When making pizzas - a) can you freeze the dough into pizza bases and b) can you freeze it into ready made pizzas before being cooked?

thriftlady_2

Yes, and yes

Cazzdevil

lil_me wrote:

Actually, Newcastle isn't too far from me, next time can I call you and just collect them, be like a HM takeaway

Hey no worries - I love making/baking things for other people so feel free!! For a small charge I'd also deliver

pipkin71

We have a bargain greggs by us, and this weekend they were selling three crusty loaves for 50p.

As pizza is a favourite of the girls, for tea last night I sliced a loaf up, spread with tomato puree then added cheese for DD1, and various toppings with the cheese for DD2 - sweetcorn, onions, spicy chicken etc.

Both girls really enjoyed this version of pizza and it was so cheap and quick to make. I did cook them on a pizza tray, so the bread didn't go soggy or too hard.

Cazzdevil

Good plan. There's a Greggs bargain bakery just ouside of Newcastle too (my folks always called it the "Greggs Second Hand Shop"), and my parents always used to stock up on half price pasties and bread buns etc when my bro and I were little and freeze them.

I got some reduced to clear breakfast muffins from Netto t'other night, I might make a mini pizza out of one of those this week for my lunch!