Di - the Wise one

[debih]

Oh Wise One. I have a question for you.

On Ally's pizza flour thread, Lozz (I think it was Loz) mentioned that you gave her some pizza tips.

I love pizza although Mick and I rarely have it - mainly because he isn't that keen on it. But I do make it for the girls - although I probably don't go to as much trouble as I would if I was eating it as they will only eat really boring plain cheese and tomato pizza.

I do make my own bases, usually using the pizza setting on my breadmaker, and the girls do much prefer home made to shop bought.

Could you, oh Wise One, please pass on your pizza making tips to us mere mortals?

[Lozzles]

Have a looky here debih
viewtopic.php?f=7&t=1278

[debih]

Oh thanks Loz.

That saves The Wise One from having to tax her very wise brain again.

[debih]

If only I could get my very set in their ways girls to eat them.

I might try the little meatballs though - they like those.

[Lozzles]

Pizza is a good way of getting kids to try things they would normally turn their noses up at

[Workingman]

May I, seeing as the old wise one is not here?

I only keep white SR, plain and strong bread flours in - never, ever, that wholemeal muck.

My 'perfect' bases are always a 50:50 mix of plain and bread flours.

The cheese should always be mozzarella - hand shredded, sliced or grated - unless doing a quatro fromaggio!

The sauce can be simply tomatoes - tinned, puréed, pasata - and oregano and basil.

The toppings can be anything your heart desires. You want ham and pineapple, go for it. You want bacon and egg, do it! Mushrooms, onions, chicken, prawns, sliced beef, asparagus.... mix and match. Whatever you fancy.

Pizzas are as versatile as your imagination, and if made at home are nowhere near as calorific as those in those well known 'restaurants' or your favourite supermarket.

[Diflower]

I do wish I could keep my mouth shut sometimes

But since I can't...
I too make the dough in the breadmaker, pizza setting, as per recipe in the booklet. As the instruction book says is fine, but is nicer if you make it in the morning or early afternoon, and let it rise slowly in the fridge. Punch it down a bit, push it into shape as much as you can (I do it straight onto an oiled & semolina-sprinkled baking tray), then leave it 10 mins or so and you can push it out more.

Other than that...don't be tempted to make them like a topless pie, i.e. not too much on them.
For me and Bb, we would have 2/3 of the recipe (it uses 300g of flour, we take 1/3 off and freeze it). You can make 2 great big thin pizzas from that 2/3. Also we would only use about 1/2 a mozzarella ball between the two (any supermarket's value one, 44p or so). If you're not careful they will all taste the same, lots of tomato sauce and cheese.
Just thought, have you got Jamie's Italian? His pictures are a really good guide as to how much (or how little) toppings you really should have, and how few ingredients.

Since we started to take our pizzas more seriously they're honestly really, really good, and bear no relation whatsoever to any you can buy

[Workingman]

I do wish I could keep my mouth shut sometimes

So does Bb, allegedly, but that's another matter.

I make the dough the traditional way and freeze it in portions after the first rise and 'knock back', It sort of proves again as it defrosts.

I also do the rest and push method to fill the pizza tray before adding the sauce and topping. Absolutely agree that less is more. I also brush the bare dough on the rim of the pizza dish with oil... it gives a nice crispy edge to each slice.

And a tip I learned from my friends in France... I cut the pizza with scissors.