Don't get me wrong. I love Domino's, Pizza Hut, Papa Johns..
Oh Papa Johns.. It's been so long since we've had the opportunity to be together.
Me: "What kind of pizza do you want?"
Mhairi: "I want delicious meats. Get the one with ALL THE MEATS!"
(Gibbons & Meston, 2011)
Oh Papa Johns.. It's been so long since we've had the opportunity to be together.
Me: "What kind of pizza do you want?"
Mhairi: "I want delicious meats. Get the one with ALL THE MEATS!"
(Gibbons & Meston, 2011)
But guys, this pizza dough saves my bank account all the time.
Let's do the math! I know how you love math..
I buy a 3kg bag of Strong White Bread flour for around £1.80.
I buy a 100g tin of Instant Yeast for £1.
This recipe calls for 4 cups of flour and around 14g of yeast.
That's 30p + 14p = 44p
I get around 7 pizzas out of this recipe.
That's a shocking 6p per pizza.
So let's now add pizza sauce, cheese and toppings.
I can usually budget this for around 50-60p per pizza (chorizo, peppers, mushrooms, delicious yummy things).
So max: You're spending around 70p on a delicious delicious homemade pizza that is just as yummy as any take-away pizza and it is certainly a lot tastier than any frozen pizza. Trust me.
I can just imagine students everywhere crying tears of happiness.
I should get an award.
Ok, I know making dough seems like a long arduous process but trust me, it's really not. Once you get used to kneading the dough, it's so quick and easy. All you have to do it throw it all in a bowl, mix together, knead and then leave to rise for 2 hours.
Pizza companies must make a bloody fortune!
I can imagine their costs per pizza is probably even less than 70p and they're charging people £8-12 for a pizza. CRAZAY!
Hrmm.. maybe I should start a pizza company..
"Is Pizza a Carb?"
1/2 cup Warm Water
2 + 1/4 tsp Instant Yeast
4 cups Bread Flour
2 tsp Salt
1 + 1/4 cup Room Temperature Water
2 tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
2 + 1/4 tsp Instant Yeast
4 cups Bread Flour
2 tsp Salt
1 + 1/4 cup Room Temperature Water
2 tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
I'm going to keep this simple because I know how you guys are easily confused.
Add the yeast to the warm water and give it a quick stir. Leave to sit.
Measure the flour into a bowl with the salt. Give it a quick mix.
Add the room temperature water to the yeast + water. Now add the olive oil. Give it another quick stir, then add all of it to the flour. Mix until a dough forms.
Flour the countertop and pour the dough out onto it. You now need to knead the dough for about 5 mins. If it's not tiring, you're not doing it right. You need to stretch that gluten so that you have some delicious pizza dough.
Oil the inside of a large bowl and place the pizza dough in it. Turn it around a couple of times to ensure it's coated in oil. Cover the bowl with clingfilm and place it in a warm corner of the kitchen. Allow to rise for 2 hours.
2 hours later, poke the dough and giggle whilst you watch it deflate. Pour onto a floured surface and split it up. I usually get about 5-7 balls of dough out of this recipe. However, I make very thin crispy pizza, so if you want a large, doughy, deep pan pizza, I suggest making 3 balls out of this recipe.
Shape the dough out either with your hands or a rolling pin. Brush the crusts with oil. Spread some sauce on it, sprinkle with cheese, top with your desired toppings and bake for 15-20 mins. Again, I like crispy pizza, if you like yours more doughy then check it from around 10-15 mins.
I <3 PIZZA.
You can also freeze this dough. Roll out a sheet of clingfilm and lightly mist it with oil. Place the dough on it and wrap it up nice and tight. Place in freezer immediately. Otherwise it will continue to rise.
You can also defrost this dough in a microwave for a quick dinner. I can hear you gourmet chefs out there gasping and muttering under your breath. But it works, and if it works, don't fix it. Or something like that.
Place the frozen dough in the microwave and microwave for 1-2 mins @ defrost setting. Depending on your microwave it might need a few mins longer. The dough should be soft but still cold. Becareful not too over-microwave it or you'll cook the dough and it will be useless.
Add the yeast to the warm water and give it a quick stir. Leave to sit.
Measure the flour into a bowl with the salt. Give it a quick mix.
Add the room temperature water to the yeast + water. Now add the olive oil. Give it another quick stir, then add all of it to the flour. Mix until a dough forms.
Flour the countertop and pour the dough out onto it. You now need to knead the dough for about 5 mins. If it's not tiring, you're not doing it right. You need to stretch that gluten so that you have some delicious pizza dough.
Oil the inside of a large bowl and place the pizza dough in it. Turn it around a couple of times to ensure it's coated in oil. Cover the bowl with clingfilm and place it in a warm corner of the kitchen. Allow to rise for 2 hours.
2 hours later, poke the dough and giggle whilst you watch it deflate. Pour onto a floured surface and split it up. I usually get about 5-7 balls of dough out of this recipe. However, I make very thin crispy pizza, so if you want a large, doughy, deep pan pizza, I suggest making 3 balls out of this recipe.
Shape the dough out either with your hands or a rolling pin. Brush the crusts with oil. Spread some sauce on it, sprinkle with cheese, top with your desired toppings and bake for 15-20 mins. Again, I like crispy pizza, if you like yours more doughy then check it from around 10-15 mins.
I <3 PIZZA.
You can also freeze this dough. Roll out a sheet of clingfilm and lightly mist it with oil. Place the dough on it and wrap it up nice and tight. Place in freezer immediately. Otherwise it will continue to rise.
You can also defrost this dough in a microwave for a quick dinner. I can hear you gourmet chefs out there gasping and muttering under your breath. But it works, and if it works, don't fix it. Or something like that.
Place the frozen dough in the microwave and microwave for 1-2 mins @ defrost setting. Depending on your microwave it might need a few mins longer. The dough should be soft but still cold. Becareful not too over-microwave it or you'll cook the dough and it will be useless.
Tune in next time when I will be showing you how to make some delicious peperonata sauce which is SO tasty on pizzas.
Love it! I've been meaning to make my own dough.. I have all the ingreidents ready just need to find the right day!
ReplyDeleteGet to it! I promise, once you start, you'll never buy pizza again! I haven't had frozen or store-bought pizza in over a year! :)
DeleteThere's just something about making your own pizza. So lovely. And, I am sure there are many fellow students who would love to share your pizza! Great food to share with friends.
ReplyDeletewas looking for something like this! Thanks a bunch.
ReplyDeleteIt's always so much fun doing dough by yourself... And as you pointed out, lot cheaper! :)
ReplyDeleteSo much cheaper! More money for a few pints ;)
DeleteWe basically only eat home made pizza anymore - it's SO much cheaper and tastier! And I like a LOT of toppings on pizza, so making our own just works better.
ReplyDeleteI'll have to try defrosting frozen dough rounds in the microwave - I usually try to thaw it in the fridge, get frustrated at how it's still frozen 8 hours later, try to defrost it on the counter (middle is still frozen 2 hrs later)...use the microwave! DUH!
Fridge is defo no good at defrosting pizza dough. If i'm not in a rush or I think about having pizza for dinner, I take the dough out in the morning and by dinner time (6pm) it's usually ready. I would defo recommend this way as defrosting it can be tricky and can ruin your dough completely.
DeleteIf you do decide to do it in a microwave, be super careful and err on the side of caution. Put it in for short bursts to make sure you don't over do it and cook the dough. If you cook the dough you won't be able to roll it out and you'll have to bin it :(