Pizza

[Screwtop]

I did not last long before I hit the sack that day . :blink:

Pumpy

Ditto

 

[Tony]

Ahhhhh PIZZA

I have found the secret to good home made pizza is a good tomato base.

Dont use plain old tomato paste, its like brewing VB.

HEre is what i make.

In a small saucepan, heat a tablespoon of olive oil and cook 1 medium onion finly chopped till tender, add i or 2 chopped garlic cloves, fry further 30 seconds (keep it sizzling the whole time) add a 400g can chopped tomatoes, 2 table spoons tomatoe paste, 1 tablespoon sugarand bring to the boil gently.
chop a big handfull of fresh basil leaves and add in, also chuck in a tablespoon of dried oregano and simmer till reduced by half and thick.
I put it in little plastic containers and freeze it and get it out when i need it, making the pizza yourself takes enought time, especially if you go with the fresh bread base like i do.

cheers

 

[johnno]

Tony definately is on the money about the sauce. :super:

Listen to him and it will work out well.

cheers
johnno

 

[Juddy]

I found the secret to good home made pizza was to build my own oven. Heaps of fun, and the pizza definately tastes better! The mushroom and blue cheese is awesome! Roll out a bunch of bases, get all your mates to bring along some topings and have a heap of fun creating!

Cheers
Juddy

 

[Randall the Enamel Animal]

Hey Juddy, that looks like a Russell Jeavons oven. Great book if anyone is thinking about building their own brick oven at home.

Best pizza sauce:

Cut a dozen roma tomatoes lengthways and lay them out on a baking tray lined with silicon baking paper. Drizzle with olive oil and season with lots of cracked pepper and good sea salt flakes. Bake in a hot oven for about 30-40 minutes until the tomatoes have reduced down by about a third. Using a wooden spoon and a fine stainless mesh sieve, push the sauce through into a mixing bowl and then discard the skins and seeds that have remained in the sieve. stir in a couple of teaspoons of sugar and trim the seasoning if you think it's needed. Delicious. Use what's left after pizza day for pasta sauce.

 

[Juddy]

Hey Randall
It certainly is! Got a little put off by all the complicated info thats available on the net about pizza ovens. Then I was given a copy of Russell Jeavons book and he made it all alot simpler. Cheap, uncomplicated and effective! He's won me!!!

Cheers
Juddy

 

[Screwtop]

Me Too: Still using an indirectly fired oven that I bought some years ago, still havn't gotten around to building my own directly fired brick oven, thats a project for the future, but in readyness I have the book by South Australian Russell Jeavons, with foreword by Maggie Beer.

For those wanting a copy: Your Brick Oven, Building it & baking in it. Wakefield Press www.wakefieldpress.com.au

Got mine from Angus & Robertson

 

[chillamacgilla73]

Afghan Bread Pizza
The Afghan bread come in the size of two dinner plates it is 50% wholemeal flour and a crodss beteen a Leb bread and a Indian Naan bread

I less than ten you have a great feast for you and your mates when they come around for a 'Smicks ESB' beer
Pumpy

Yummo Pumpy - I am a big fan of the afghan bread pizza base and your recipe is one I will definately give a try.

For the Sandgropers - There is a Lebanese bakery around the corner from work that sells afghan bread for $1.20 - 1 or 2 "loaves" depending on thickness.Mrs macgilla works on Fridays so these Afghani Pizzas are a friday night staple food.

Details - 117 President St, Welshpool - look out for the car bonnet leaning against the wall with "Lebanese Bakery" painted on it. Closed from 12-3.

Note: No afilliation other than they pry coins from my tight fist on occasions....

 

[boingk]

Juddy, love the oven!!! I'm sure the pizza would taste better, I love wood-fired food - same thing with BBQ's, just doesnt seem quite all there if its not done over wood fires.

Anyway...my favorite pizza recipe would have to be something like the following:

1 lebanese bread thingy [type they sell at Aldi, $1 for 7]
Coat with tomato paste or pasta sauce,
Sprinkle with cheese and onion,
Whack some ham and pineapple onto it,
Sprinkle some black pepper and ground chilli on,
Throw in some capsicum and tomato,
And add some basil and oregano.

Top off with some cheese to taste and then do at 200'C for 20 to 30 minutes. Man...getting hungry...

EDIT: Yeah, reading back over the posts, what I use looks pretty much like an Afghan bread.

 

[andrewg]

Pizza crust
....recipe

3 cups flour
7 grams (1 sachet or 1 1/2 teaspoons) dry yeast
About 1 cup warm water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar

Makes approx 4 thin family size bases.

Add yeast and sugar to warm water. Allow to froth up.

Add flour and enough water to make a dough. Knead until smooth.

Return dough to a large, oiled bowl and allow to rise to about double
the size. Remove and knead again.

Roll out to desired thickness to fit pizza tray then leave to rise on tray about 1/2 hour.
We make ours quite thin.

The trick is to half cook the dough in the tray before adding any toppings.

Courtesy of another forum member, but I'm sure they won't object. If they do they can delete it h34r:

Part cooking the dough is a good trick to getting the ideal pizza base and a thin base is a must IMHO! I also add a Tbspn of olive oil to the dough mix.

Favourite topping includes: sundried tomato, kalamata olives, capsicum, fetta, sliced artechoke heart, mushrooms, with basil, oregano, a dash of chilli, on a nice rich tomato sauce.

Like a good beer, a good pizza is all about balance! Not to heavy on the toppings and go easy with the mozzarella.

Ah a good homebrewed beer & homemade pizza - a marriage made in heaven :beer:
I reckon pizza goes with just about any beer style too!
cheers
HStB

 

[Pumpy]

Yummo Pumpy - I am a big fan of the afghan bread pizza base and your recipe is one I will definately give a try.

For the Sandgropers - There is a Lebanese bakery around the corner from work that sells afghan bread for $1.20 - 1 or 2 "loaves" depending on thickness.Mrs macgilla works on Fridays so these Afghani Pizzas are a friday night staple food.

Details - 117 President St, Welshpool - look out for the car bonnet leaning against the wall with "Lebanese Bakery" painted on it. Closed from 12-3.

Note: No afilliation other than they pry coins from my tight fist on occasions....

C Mc G ,

Glad There are other Afghan bread converts ,

I thought no one would know what I was talking about

Pumpy

 

[Franko]

Ive been using Afghani bread here for years also,
I buy it from a fruit shop on the Hume Hwy at Casula.
.
I never knew you used it too Pumpy,Ive had Linz and Mel here for a pizza feast a few times looks like were going to have to get together and make a big night of it

 

[Rod]

I use the bread machine to make the pizza base

4 bases for about 50 cents

 

[fixa]

the bread machine rocks for doing bases. As long as you remember to set it before you go to work so the bases will be ready when you get home.

I like a pizza with lots of meat and cheese.

And anchovies.

am i weird? (just about pizza's.. the true answer to that is a thread in itself)

 

[AndrewQLD]

the bread machine rocks for doing bases. As long as you remember to set it before you go to work so the bases will be ready when you get home.

I like a pizza with lots of meat and cheese.

And anchovies.

am i weird? (just about pizza's.. the true answer to that is a thread in itself)

I'm with you Fixa, meat cheese and anchovies = yumm

 

[Paleman]

Anyone ever tried baking a pizza in a Weber ?

A touch of hickory wood on the heat beads for a wood fire taste. Not as good as a wood fire oven, but dam close.

Mmmmmmm a nice meat pizza, and a rich stout. :beerbang:

 

[Randall the Enamel Animal]

Anyone ever tried baking a pizza in a Weber ?

Yeah, the Weber works well. Pre-heat a heavy terracotta tile over the fire and cook directly on it (you'll need a baker's peel).

 

[goatherder]

I read this thread with a heavy heart. I travelled through Italy a couple of years back and ate some amazing pizza. Simple, sparse toppings, not too much cheese. Simply divine. I can't put my finger on what it was that made them great. A few have mentioned thin bases and "it's all about the sauce". I think this is part of it. I wish I had all the answers...

 

[Duff]

Yeah, the Weber works well. Pre-heat a heavy terracotta tile over the fire and cook directly on it (you'll need a baker's peel).

Also, let the coals drop back a little. If you only have the standard metal pizza bases, use two if you are placing on the grill or the base burns real quick.

 

[Duff]

Here's a real nice pizza to impress SWMBO.

If you don't make the base, I use the Bazaar thin pizza bases you can buy at Woolies.

Smoked Salmon Pizza

Spread base of sour cream and fresh dill. Top with torn smoked salmon, avocado chunks, crumbled fetta and pizza cheese. Fresh black pepper only, no salt. Bake at 200C.

As goatherder mentioned, less is more on a pizza*




*For SWMBO anyway, if you have mates around you've just got to go hard with a variety of flamed grilled animals and copious amounts of cheese :lol: