Homemade Pizzas

If you can take the time to make these pizzas you won't be dissappointed. The dough is very quick to make. I stress again be meticulous when it come to weighing up your ingredients when baking.
It's one of the key elements in getting the end result perfect.
The amount of dough I'm making seems like a lot and it is.
I always use a kg of flour because you can freeze the half you don't use in balls or rolled out on a round baking sheet separated with grease proof paper.
Ready to use the next time you feel like a pizza.

Makes 5-6 pizzas

Pre-heat oven 220oc really hot.

Ingredients:

650ml tepid tap water
1 sachet or 7g dried yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon salt
1kg strong white flour
Bit extra for dusting

To make the dough, pour the tepid water into a large bowl and add yeast, sugar and salt.
Add the flour bit by bit until it all comes together.
The dough should be smooth and springy so if it's too wet add a little more flour.
Dust some flour on a counter top and kneed the dough until it feels smooth and you have a nice even ball.
Dust a bowl with some flour and add the dough ball.
Cover with a tea-towel leave to prove until its doubled in size.
When ready divine the dough up into the size you require and roll out thinly on to a oiled & floured baking tray. If you don't have a round pizza tray use a Swiss roll tin and make a rectangle shape pizza.


( While the dough is proving make your tomato sauce and prepare your toppings).

Sauce Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 red onion finally sliced
2 cloves of garlic crushed
1 Teaspoon chopped thyme or rosemary
1/2 glass of white or red wine
1 jar of passatta (sieved tomatoes)
Some fresh basil torn up
Salt ,pepper
Pinch of sugar to taste

Method:

Heat oil in sauce pan to a medium
Add onion,garlic and herbs
Sauté until soft but not coloured
Add the wine and boil until the alcohol is burned off and your left with little liquid.
Add the tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes.
Season
Taste add sugar if the sauce is a bit acidic.
Add fresh basil.
( In my opinion tomato sauces always need a little sugar to balance out the acidity in the tomatoes).
Leave the sauce to cool a little before adding to pizza dough.

When your pizza base is rolled out and on the baking sheet.
Smear with tomato sauce.
For the topping on my pizza
I bought 2 O'Flynns
"Hot Italian"sausages took them out of the casing and made mini meat balls out of them.
I also put on some thinly sliced mushrooms, cherry tomatoes and sliced cooked baby potatoes.
I used grated mozzarella to top it off.
Cook the pizza for 10 minutes in the hot oven.
Check them after 6 minutes to make sure it isn't burning.

When cooked I topped the pizza with fresh basil and parmesan shavings.