Easy Peasy Pizza

This recipe uses a very simple method to make your own pizza dough. For the tomato-based sauce for your tasty topping, you can either buy a can or jar of passata, or follow this simple recipe to make your own.

Ingredients

Vegetable oil for greasing
50g button mushrooms
50g mozzarella OR reduced fat Cheddar cheese OR a mixture of the two
1 quantity basic dough (see ingredients)
3-4 x 15ml spoons passata sauce (see ingredients)
1 clove garlic
Black pepper
½ x 5ml spoon dried oregano (optional)

To make your pizza base

100g self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting
25g unsaturated fat spread
4 x 15ml spoons skimmed milk

To make your passata sauce

1 x 400g can chopped OR plum tomatoes
Black pepper (pinch)
½ x 5ml spoon dried basil (pinch) OR small bunch (10g) fresh basil

Equipment

Weighing scales
Sieve
Medium mixing bowl
Measuring spoons
Table knife/fork
Can opener
Food processor/blender (optional)
Baking tray or 20cm square baking tin
Kitchen paper
Chopping board
Sharp knife
Grater
Rolling pin (optional)
Dessert spoon
Garlic crusher
Oven gloves
Pan stand

Instructions

To make your pizza base

1. Sift the flour into a medium mixing bowl.
2. Rub in the spread until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
3. Gradually add the milk and mix together with a fork or table knife.
4. Bring the dough together with your hands to reach a smooth consistency. If the dough is too wet and sticky, add a small amount of flour until it is the correct consistency.

To make your passata sauce

1. Open the can of tomatoes and pour into the blender. Add the black pepper and basil (wash and add the fresh basil, if using) and blitz until they combine to create a smooth liquid. If you don’t have a blender, you can strain the tomatoes in a sieve or, if you don’t mind getting your hands dirty, crush them together with the pepper and basil in a bowl by squishing them between your fingers.

To make your pizza

1. Lightly grease the baking tray or tin.
2. Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan or gas mark 7.
3. Wipe the mushrooms with kitchen paper and slice thinly. Cut the mozzarella cheese into small cubes or grate the Cheddar.
4. Press the dough into the baking tin or press or roll into an 18cm circle on a lightly floured surface. Alternatively, cut the dough in half and press out into 2 x 12cm rounds. Place the rounds onto the baking tray.
5. Spoon on the passata sauce and spread almost to the edge of the dough. Peel and chop or crush the garlic.
6. Arrange the mushrooms on top of the sauce and sprinkle the cheese over the top.
7. Add the garlic, black pepper to taste and the oregano (if using).
8. Place in the hot oven for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling and the base is golden.

Skills used include:
Weighing, measuring, chopping, sifting, mixing/combining, rolling, blending and baking.

Top Tips

• Make sure the passata sauce doesn’t run over the edge of the dough, as it will make the base soggy.
• Don’t put the toppings on the pizza until it is on the baking tray.

Something to try next time

• Swap the mushrooms with your favourite ingredients, add to the passata-covered pizza base and sprinkle over mozzarella and/or Cheddar cheese as above. Here are some other ideas you might like to try.
• Vegetable pizza – Add ½ a sliced red onion, ½ a deseeded and sliced red or yellow pepper and 10 halved cherry tomatoes.
• Chicken pizza – Scatter over 30g of diced cooked chicken and a few chopped black olives.
• Greek pizza – Use feta cheese instead of mozzarella or Cheddar, 6 stoned olives and 25g of washed and dried spinach leaves broken into small pieces. Arrange the spinach on top of the passata sauce, crumble over the feta and scatter over the olives.
• Try adding a pinch of dried herbs or 3-4 torn fresh basil leaves to the rubbed-in dough mixture.

Prepare now, eat later

• Prepare the base in advance by rubbing the spread into the flour and storing in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours, or in the freezer for up to 1 month. Just shake the dry mix into a bowl and add milk to finish it off.
• Make the dough and roll out to the size of pizza base you require, then freeze the bases. Defrost for a few minutes before topping and baking the pizzas. You might need to cook the pizza for slightly longer until it is piping hot.
• If possible, assemble the pizzas just before cooking so the passata doesn’t soak into the pizza base and make it soggy.