During a recent discussion over dinner I asked my children which of my cooking endeavours would they remember the most. They both said my pizza crust. Even I think I make a great pizza. My standard recipe of 3 teaspoons yeast, 4 cups flour, 1/4 cup oil, 1 1/4 cups water and 1 teaspoon salt makes 2 big pizzas.
For this pizza I used Donna's recipe as Joey posted when she announced the latest Hay Hay Its Donna Day. It was adequate but not my best effort. That could have been the flour I used. Donna said all purpose and I saw a packet of flour for bread and pizza in the shop and decided to try it out.
Here is the Donna Hay recipe:
Pizza Dough
(from Modern Classics I by Donna Hay, page 186)
- 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
- Pinch sugar
- 2/3 cup (5 fl oz) warm water
- 2 cups plain (all-purpose) flour
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Place the yeast, sugar, and water in a bowl. Set aside until bubbles form.
- Add the four, salt, and oil, and mix to form a smooth dough. Knead for 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic.
- Place in a clean, oiled bowl, cover, and allow to stand in a warm place until it has doubled in size. Makes one quantity.
Here's how I topped it.
Slice 3 shallots and soften in a little olive oil. Add a couple of tablespoons of fig balsamic vinegar* and evaporate over high heat, watching so it doesn't burn. Cool
Top pizza with some slices of mozzarella cheese, spread with shallots and crumbled feta cheese.
Drizzle with oil and bake in hot oven about 15 minutes.
Top with thinly sliced prosciutto to serve.
*Fig Balsamic Vinegar: this is my latest favourite condiment. The one I used in New Zealand was from a Middle Eastern importer and much nicer than the supermarket product I purchased in Australia. Fig Balsamic is a mixture of fig puree and balsamic vinegar so I have plans to make my own after I've done a little research.
Hay Hay Its Donna Day Pizzas is hosted by Joey at 80 Breakfasts
Deadline for all posts to be up and submitted is January 26, 2008. You can email all your entries to eighty_breakfasts(AT)yahoo(DOT)com on or before January 26, 2008. In your email, please include the following information: your blog name, your name, your location, your recipe name, and the permalink to your entry.
