pizza party...

i made pizza for dinner tonight - yum!  i made everything from scratch, the pizza dough and the sauce.  it was so simple, i can't believe that i've never made pizza bases before.  when i embarked on this challenge i thought that i would never eat pizza again.  o how wrong i was.

ta-dah pizza time

i'm pretty sure that you should all throw out the number for dominoes and start making this instead.  there is something so empowering about making your own pizza, and it tastes so much better.

my little pizza dough resting

i made the base using spelt flour, click here to find out more about spelt, it was really simple, and only required 4 ingredients.  because of the time limitations i had (with working and everything) i made the dough last night and then let it sit in some glad wrap in the fridge until i needed it this evening.  i'm not sure if this is the best way to store the dough, but it seemed fine when i cooked it tonight.  this is the recipe for the base:

spelt pizza dough

3.5 cups of spelt flour (you can get this from your local health food store)

3/4 cup luke warm water

1.5 tablespoons of dry active yeast (the non-instant kind)

3 tablespoons of olive oil

directions:

1. sift the flour into a large mixing bowl

2. dissolve the yeast in 3/4 cup luke warm water, add to flour and stir in with the oil

3. continue stirring until you have a uniform texture, then start kneading by hand in the bowl, or on a large, clean surface.  knead for about 5 mins.

4. cover ball of dough with flour and place underneath a damp towel for 1-2 hours until the volume is approximately double.

5. divide dough for 4 small pizzas, 2 large or 1 party size

the tomato sauce

1/4 cup of olive oil

400g can of organic crushed tomatoes

3-4 cloves of garlic

a squeeze of lemon juice

directions:

1. heat the oil and garlic in a cold saucepan over medium heat, while stirring

2. sauteed just until fragrant - do not brown the garlic and do not let the oil smoke

3. add the can of tomates and heat until it reaches a gentle simmer

4. add the squeeze of lemon into the pot and stir

5. add salt and pepper to taste

get creative with your toppings, tonight i did the tomato sauce with chopped up red onion, goats cheese and green olives sliced; and the second pizza had a basil pesto, green olives, sliced quarts of red onion and goats cheese.

once you've got your toppings on the dough, place on a pizza tray lined with baking paper and then into a preheated oven, around 180 degrees.  bake for around 20 mins, or until the base feels cooked through.

i was accompanied by a great friend who helped me taste test my first ever home made pizza. i think it went down a treat.  followed by some fresh made banana ice cream, click here for the recipe, with beautiful fresh passion fruit pulp added.  it couldn't have been a better night!

get cooking my lovelies, i want to hear all about the different pizza toppings that you try.

NK xx