Pizza is one of the tastiest and most popular foods in the UK. Many people order fresh and hot pizzas every day, but some people prefer to make fresh and delicious pizzas at home. Surprisingly, it is very easy and convenient to make fresh and hot pizzas at home. You can make delicious pizza on your own with good pizza dough, a flavoursome tomato sauce, melted cheese and carefully selected toppings. Let’s explore how to make fresh pizza from scratch with a crisp base, a soft centre and the right toppings.
Fresh Pizza Ingredients
You can prepare a pizza dough for two medium-sized pizzas with these ingredients. Always make sure that you only use fresh and high-quality ingredients to make healthy pizza and other food. Popular UK pizza recipes commonly use strong flour, yeast, water and salt as the foundation of the pizza dough. Here are the required pizza dough ingredients.
- 400g strong white bread flour
- 7g fast-action dried yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Around 250ml lukewarm water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Tomato passata or pizza sauce
- Mozzarella cheese
- Your preferred pizza toppings
- Dried oregano, fresh basil or chilli flakes
Prepare the Fresh Pizza Dough
It is important to make fresh pizza dough to make a soft, light and flavourful pizza base. Put the flour into a large mixing bowl and evenly distribute the salt and dried yeast in the bowl. Start mixing these ingredients, and gradually pour lukewarm water into the bowl while mixing the ingredients. After that, add the olive oil to these ingredients and mix them until the ingredients come together to form a soft dough. Spread a light layer of flour onto the surface, transfer the dough there and knead it until it becomes smoother and more elastic.
Let the Dough Rise
After that, place the dough into a lightly oiled bowl and cover it properly. Leave the dough in a warm space away from direct airflow and wait until it has significantly increased in size. The exact amount of time for this process depends on room temperature, the amount of yeast and the recipe.
Prepare a Simple Pizza Sauce
You can make a quick homemade pizza sauce with tomato passata or crushed tomatoes. Mix any of these ingredients with a little olive oil, garlic, oregano, basil and seasoning. Stir the mixture until the ingredients are evenly combined and the sauce becomes spreadable. Excessive water in the sauce makes it soggy.
Shape the Pizza Dough
After the dough has risen properly, place it onto the lightly floured surface and divide it into two portions. Take both portions and turn them into a ball shape, and let them rest for a while. After that, press the centre gently with your fingertips and slowly move towards the edges. You can leave a slightly thicker border around the outside to create a traditional pizza crust.
Add Sauce and Toppings
Place the dough on an even surface and spread a thin layer of tomato sauce across the base. Add the normal amount of mozzarella cheese and the selected toppings. Popular pizzas in the UK, such as margherita pizza, pepperoni pizza, meat feast pizza, and other pizzas, have different pizza toppings, and it is important to choose the right pizza toppings to create your desired pizza flavour. It is important to avoid too many pizza toppings because excessive toppings can make the pizza soggy and affect the overall pizza taste and flavour.
Preheat Your Oven Properly
It is really important to preheat your oven properly before you put your pizza in to cook. Generally, you can cook your pizza better at high temperatures. For a domestic oven, a temperature of 240–250 °C is recommended.
Bake the Fresh Pizza
Once the oven is properly heated, carefully place the prepared pizza onto the hot cooking surface. Leave it in the oven and bake it until the pizza crust is golden, the cheese has melted, and the underside of the base is properly cooked. You can add desired finishing ingredients after the pizza is baked to make it more delicious.
Final Thoughts
Anyone can make fresh and hot pizza at home with the required simple ingredients and basic cooking knowledge. Make fresh dough and let it rise properly for a while. Spread an even amount of sauce on the base, add the desired toppings and bake it in the preheated oven until the crust is golden. Add some finishing touches on top and enjoy your homemade fresh pizza.