pizza from scratch

We really love making our own pizza. Almost everything is from scratch - as soon as we get our Vitamix we'll even be grinding our own wheat. But almost everything else is made from fresh ingredients. :)

I think what really helps make great pizza is nice, fluffy crust. We use our Bakehouse bread maker to prepare the dough (recipe from the bread maker book) though I've done it by hand, too.

The key to a gorgeous, pizzaria crust is to use a pizza stone. Heat the stone in a oven to 220C/425F (if you put a cold stone straight into a hot oven, it might crack). Prepare the pizza - roll out the dough onto parchment paper and put toppings on it: 4T pizza sauce - recipe below, and top with whatever veg you want. Place the raw pizza, parchment and all, onto the pizza stone.

A favourite of ours is capsicum, Kalamata olives, onions, fresh New Zealand mozzarella and Cloudy Mountain feta, all purchased at the local farmers market.

--

I make my own pizzaiola sauce from fresh tomatoes - it's absolutely divine. Store-bought pizza sauces just don't compare.

800g fresh tomatoes, cored and cut into chunks
1/2c olive oil
1T fresh oregano
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Heat the oil over high heat in a wok or other large, shallow pan (I use a cast-iron pan) almost until the smoking point. Add the tomatoes, garlic and oregano, but be careful not to get splattered with the hot oil. Cook over high heat, stirring constantly, for 8-10 minutes or until the sauce becomes thick.

Use a food mill to remove the skin and seeds. If you don't have one, you could use a colander, but it would be messy ;) If you want a thicker sauce, it can go back in the pan for a few minutes. You should end up with a smooth, glossy sauce that tastes rich and really takes pizzas to the next level.

I use plastic popsicle molds to freeze 4T portions (enough for a single pizza) and use them as I need them.

Watch this space: I'll post some pictures later :)