Pizza offered the first taste of exotic Italian cuisine to the Indian middle class. Back then, pizza was meant to be eaten only as a chatpata snack solely on those very lucky evenings because mealtimes were solely meant for good ol’ dal-chawal. Now that millennials are going global and the boomers have almost made peace with the idea that pizzas are a meal by themselves, there’s no looking back for these slices of heaven.
The Channel 46 caught up with Nikhil Ajay Abhyankar, Executive Chef at Juliette Ristorante, Mumbai to share 5 surprisingly easy-to-make pizza recipes that you can try at your leisure.
Pizza Base (For 8 pizzas)
- 800 g strong – white bread flour
- 200 g – ground semolina flour
- 1 teaspoon – salt
- 14 gm – dried yeast
- 1 tablespoon – caster sugar
- 650 ml – lukewarm water
Tomato Sauce (For 4 pizzas)
- Garlic – 20 gms
- Basil – 50 gms
- Olive oil – 50 ml
- Tinned Tomatoes – 400 gms
- Mozzarella Cheese – 65 gms
1. Margherita Pizza (9 inches)
Ingredients
- Pizza dough 100gm
- Pizza sauce 80gm
- Cherry tomatoes 50gm
- Bocconcini 50gm
- Mozzarella cheese 40gm
- Basil 10gm
- Olive oil 5ml
- Flour 10gm
Method
- For the dough, pile the flours, sprinkle 1 level teaspoon of sea salt onto a clean surface and make a well in the centre.
- Add the yeast and sugar to 650ml lukewarm water, mix together and leave for a few minutes. Pour into the well.
- Using a fork and a circular movement, slowly bring in the flour from the inner edge of the well and mix into the water. Continue to mix, bringing in all the flour – when the dough comes together and becomes too hard to mix with your fork, flour your hands and begin to pat it into a ball.
- Knead the dough by rolling it backwards and forwards, using your hands to stretch, pull and push the dough. Keep kneading for 10 minutes, or until you have a smooth, springy, soft dough.
- Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with cling film and leave in a warm place to to prove for 45 minutes, or until doubled in size.
- For the sauce, peel and finely slice the garlic, then pick the basil leaves and finely chop the stalks.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan on a medium-low heat, add the garlic and basil stalks, then cook gently for a couple of minutes, or until the garlic is lightly golden, then add most of the basil leaves, the tomatoes, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Leave the sauce to tick away for around 20 minutes, or until smooth, breaking the tomatoes up with a wooden spoon. When the time’s up, taste, and season to perfection.
- To assemble the pizzas, divide the dough in half. Wrap one half in clingfilm and freeze for another day. With the remaining half, divide the dough into 4 equal balls.
- Flour each dough ball, then cover with cling film, and leave to rest for about 15 minutes – this will make it easier to roll it thinly.
- Dust a clean surface and the dough with a little flour or semolina, and roll it out into a rough circle, about ½cm thick.
- Tear off an appropriately sized piece of tin foil, rub it with olive oil, dust well with flour or semolina and place the pizza base on top. Continue doing the same with the remaining dough, dust with a little flour so you can pile them up. Cover with cling film and place in the fridge.
- When you’re ready to cook them, preheat the oven to 250°C/500°F/gas
- At this stage you can apply your topping: spread the tomato sauce over the base, spreading it out to the edges. Tear over the mozzarella and scatter with the remaining basil leaves. Drizzle with a tiny bit of olive oil and add a pinch of salt and pepper.
- If you can, cook the pizzas on a piece of granite in your conventional oven. If not, cook them one by one on pieces of tin foil directly on the bars of the oven shelf, towards the bottom of the oven (If you’re going to cook your pizzas on the bars of the oven, make sure they’re not too big – otherwise they’ll be difficult to manoeuvre). Cook for 7 to 10 minutes, until the pizzas are golden and crispy.
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2. Pepperoni Pizza (9 inches)
Ingredients
- Pizza dough 100gm
- Pizza sauce 80gm
- Pepperoni 80 gm
- Bocconcini 50gm
- Mozzarella cheese 40gm
- Dry oregano 5gm
- Olive oil 5ml
- Flour 10gm
Method
- For the dough, pile the flours, sprinkle 1 level teaspoon of sea salt onto a clean surface and make a well in the centre.
- Add the yeast and sugar to 650ml lukewarm water, mix together and leave for a few minutes. Pour into the well.
- Using a fork and a circular movement, slowly bring in the flour from the inner edge of the well and mix into the water. Continue to mix, bringing in all the flour – when the dough comes together and becomes too hard to mix with your fork, flour your hands and begin to pat it into a ball.
- Knead the dough by rolling it backwards and forwards, using your hands to stretch, pull and push the dough. Keep kneading for 10 minutes, or until you have a smooth, springy, soft dough.
- Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with cling film and leave in a warm place to to prove for 45 minutes, or until doubled in size.
- For the sauce, peel and finely slice the garlic, then pick the basil leaves and finely chop the stalks.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan on a medium-low heat, add the garlic and basil stalks, then cook gently for a couple of minutes, or until the garlic is lightly golden, then add most of the basil leaves, the tomatoes, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Leave the sauce to tick away for around 20 minutes, or until smooth, breaking the tomatoes up with a wooden spoon. When the time’s up, taste, and season to perfection.
- To assemble the pizzas, divide the dough in half. Wrap one half in clingfilm and freeze for another day. With the remaining half, divide the dough into 4 equal balls.
- Flour each dough ball, then cover with cling film, and leave to rest for about 15 minutes – this will make it easier to roll it thinly.
- Dust a clean surface and the dough with a little flour or semolina, and roll it out into a rough circle, about ½cm thick.
- Tear off an appropriately sized piece of tin foil, rub it with olive oil, dust well with flour or semolina and place the pizza base on top. Continue doing the same with the remaining dough, dust with a little flour so you can pile them up. Cover with cling film and place in the fridge.
- When you’re ready to cook them, preheat the oven to 250°C/500°F/gas
- At this stage you can apply your topping: spread the tomato sauce over the base, spreading it out to the edges. Tear over the mozzarella and scatter with the remaining basil leaves. Drizzle with a tiny bit of olive oil and add a pinch of salt and pepper.
- If you can, cook the pizzas on a piece of granite in your conventional oven. If not, cook them one by one on pieces of tin foil directly on the bars of the oven shelf, towards the bottom of the oven (If you’re going to cook your pizzas on the bars of the oven, make sure they’re not too big – otherwise they’ll be difficult to manoeuvre). Cook for 7 to 10 minutes, until the pizzas are golden and crispy.
3. Pizza Florentine (9 inches)
Ingredients
- Pizza dough 100gm
- Pizza sauce 80gm
- Spinach cream 30gm
- Bocconcini 50gm
- Goat’s cheese 30gm
- Dry oregano 5gm
- Olive oil 5ml
- Flour 10gm
Method
- For the dough, pile the flours, sprinkle 1 level teaspoon of sea salt onto a clean surface and make a well in the centre.
- Add the yeast and sugar to 650ml lukewarm water, mix together and leave for a few minutes. Pour into the well.
- Using a fork and a circular movement, slowly bring in the flour from the inner edge of the well and mix into the water. Continue to mix, bringing in all the flour – when the dough comes together and becomes too hard to mix with your fork, flour your hands and begin to pat it into a ball.
- Knead the dough by rolling it backwards and forwards, using your hands to stretch, pull and push the dough. Keep kneading for 10 minutes, or until you have a smooth, springy, soft dough.
- Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with cling film and leave in a warm place to to prove for 45 minutes, or until doubled in size.
- For the sauce, peel and finely slice the garlic, then pick the basil leaves and finely chop the stalks.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan on a medium-low heat, add the garlic and basil stalks, then cook gently for a couple of minutes, or until the garlic is lightly golden, then add most of the basil leaves, the tomatoes, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Leave the sauce to tick away for around 20 minutes, or until smooth, breaking the tomatoes up with a wooden spoon. When the time’s up, taste, and season to perfection.
- To assemble the pizzas, divide the dough in half. Wrap one half in clingfilm and freeze for another day. With the remaining half, divide the dough into 4 equal balls.
- Flour each dough ball, then cover with cling film, and leave to rest for about 15 minutes – this will make it easier to roll it thinly.
- Dust a clean surface and the dough with a little flour or semolina, and roll it out into a rough circle, about ½cm thick.
- Tear off an appropriately sized piece of tin foil, rub it with olive oil, dust well with flour or semolina and place the pizza base on top. Continue doing the same with the remaining dough, dust with a little flour so you can pile them up. Cover with cling film and place in the fridge.
- When you’re ready to cook them, preheat the oven to 250°C/500°F/gas
- At this stage you can apply your topping: spread the tomato sauce over the base, spreading it out to the edges. Tear over the mozzarella and scatter with the remaining basil leaves. Drizzle with a tiny bit of olive oil and add a pinch of salt and pepper.
- If you can, cook the pizzas on a piece of granite in your conventional oven. If not, cook them one by one on pieces of tin foil directly on the bars of the oven shelf, towards the bottom of the oven (If you’re going to cook your pizzas on the bars of the oven, make sure they’re not too big – otherwise they’ll be difficult to manoeuvre). Cook for 7 to 10 minutes, until the pizzas are golden and crispy.
Read: 8 Badhiya Chilled, Droolworthy Custard Recipes To Beat The October Heat
4. Mushroom Pizza (9 inches)
Ingredients
- Pizza dough 100gm
- Pizza sauce 80gm
- Button mushrooms 40gm
- Shimeji mushrooms 30gm
- Bocconcini 40gm
- Mozzarella cheese 30gm
- Thyme 5gm
- Arugula 20gm
- Olive oil 5ml
- Flour 10gm
Method
- For the dough, pile the flours, sprinkle 1 level teaspoon of sea salt onto a clean surface and make a well in the centre.
- Add the yeast and sugar to 650ml lukewarm water, mix together and leave for a few minutes. Pour into the well.
- Using a fork and a circular movement, slowly bring in the flour from the inner edge of the well and mix into the water. Continue to mix, bringing in all the flour – when the dough comes together and becomes too hard to mix with your fork, flour your hands and begin to pat it into a ball.
- Knead the dough by rolling it backwards and forwards, using your hands to stretch, pull and push the dough. Keep kneading for 10 minutes, or until you have a smooth, springy, soft dough.
- Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with cling film and leave in a warm place to to prove for 45 minutes, or until doubled in size.
- For the sauce, peel and finely slice the garlic, then pick the basil leaves and finely chop the stalks.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan on a medium-low heat, add the garlic and basil stalks, then cook gently for a couple of minutes, or until the garlic is lightly golden, then add most of the basil leaves, the tomatoes, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Leave the sauce to tick away for around 20 minutes, or until smooth, breaking the tomatoes up with a wooden spoon. When the time’s up, taste, and season to perfection.
- To assemble the pizzas, divide the dough in half. Wrap one half in clingfilm and freeze for another day. With the remaining half, divide the dough into 4 equal balls.
- Flour each dough ball, then cover with cling film, and leave to rest for about 15 minutes – this will make it easier to roll it thinly.
- Dust a clean surface and the dough with a little flour or semolina, and roll it out into a rough circle, about ½cm thick.
- Tear off an appropriately sized piece of tin foil, rub it with olive oil, dust well with flour or semolina and place the pizza base on top. Continue doing the same with the remaining dough, dust with a little flour so you can pile them up. Cover with cling film and place in the fridge.
- When you’re ready to cook them, preheat the oven to 250°C/500°F/gas
- At this stage you can apply your topping: spread the tomato sauce over the base, spreading it out to the edges. Tear over the mozzarella and scatter with the remaining basil leaves. Drizzle with a tiny bit of olive oil and add a pinch of salt and pepper.
- If you can, cook the pizzas on a piece of granite in your conventional oven. If not, cook them one by one on pieces of tin foil directly on the bars of the oven shelf, towards the bottom of the oven (If you’re going to cook your pizzas on the bars of the oven, make sure they’re not too big – otherwise they’ll be difficult to manoeuvre). Cook for 7 to 10 minutes, until the pizzas are golden and crispy.
5. Chicken & Asparagus Pizza (9 inches)
Ingredients
- Pizza dough 100gm
- Pizza sauce 80gm
- Chicken breast seared 50gm
- Asparagus roasted 30gm
- Bocconcini 40gm
- Mozzarella cheese 30gm
- Thyme 5gm
- Arugula 20gm
- Olive oil 5ml
- Flour 10gm
Method
- For the dough, pile the flours, sprinkle 1 level teaspoon of sea salt onto a clean surface and make a well in the centre.
- Add the yeast and sugar to 650ml lukewarm water, mix together and leave for a few minutes. Pour into the well.
- Using a fork and a circular movement, slowly bring in the flour from the inner edge of the well and mix into the water. Continue to mix, bringing in all the flour – when the dough comes together and becomes too hard to mix with your fork, flour your hands and begin to pat it into a ball.
- Knead the dough by rolling it backwards and forwards, using your hands to stretch, pull and push the dough. Keep kneading for 10 minutes, or until you have a smooth, springy, soft dough.
- Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with cling film and leave in a warm place to to prove for 45 minutes, or until doubled in size.
- For the sauce, peel and finely slice the garlic, then pick the basil leaves and finely chop the stalks.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan on a medium-low heat, add the garlic and basil stalks, then cook gently for a couple of minutes, or until the garlic is lightly golden, then add most of the basil leaves, the tomatoes, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Leave the sauce to tick away for around 20 minutes, or until smooth, breaking the tomatoes up with a wooden spoon. When the time’s up, taste, and season to perfection.
- To assemble the pizzas, divide the dough in half. Wrap one half in clingfilm and freeze for another day. With the remaining half, divide the dough into 4 equal balls.
- Flour each dough ball, then cover with cling film, and leave to rest for about 15 minutes – this will make it easier to roll it thinly.
- Dust a clean surface and the dough with a little flour or semolina, and roll it out into a rough circle, about ½cm thick.
- Tear off an appropriately sized piece of tin foil, rub it with olive oil, dust well with flour or semolina and place the pizza base on top. Continue doing the same with the remaining dough, dust with a little flour so you can pile them up. Cover with cling film and place in the fridge.
- When you’re ready to cook them, preheat the oven to 250°C/500°F/gas
- At this stage you can apply your topping: spread the tomato sauce over the base, spreading it out to the edges. Tear over the mozzarella and scatter with the remaining basil leaves. Drizzle with a tiny bit of olive oil and add a pinch of salt and pepper.
- If you can, cook the pizzas on a piece of granite in your conventional oven. If not, cook them one by one on pieces of tin foil directly on the bars of the oven shelf, towards the bottom of the oven (If you’re going to cook your pizzas on the bars of the oven, make sure they’re not too big – otherwise they’ll be difficult to manoeuvre). Cook for 7 to 10 minutes, until the pizzas are golden and crispy.
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