Pizza Made By You
Time taken: Half an hour
Ingredients: 250g wholemeal bread mix, a tablespoon of oil,
some warm water, tomato puree, a ball of mozzarella, aaaand toppings of your
choice!
Hi readers,
It’s Friday once more! BOOM. We’ve done it! Yes we have! We’ve
survived another week of January. YES. The cruellest month on the calendar and
We. Are. PLOUGHING ON. I do hope you are all still ploughing on. Don’t
despair!
Readers in the UK, as bitter and freezing and shitty and fearsome
as it is outside, things are still good inside are they not? Inside when you’re
home there are bathtubs and scented candles and yoga mats and hot water
bottles! There’s music and cuppas and your favourite – your duvet! And, obviously,
there is food.
If you’re a reader not in the UK, I sincerely truly 100% with
every fibre of my being hope that your weather is better for you than this, I
do, with all of my heart.
Here's Newcastle today...
It did not feel as nice as it looks. I shake my fist at the weather.
BUT EVERYONE HIGH FIVES FOR MAKING IT THROUGH THIS WEEK!!!
I must mention, readers, that my morning today was an
absolute train wreck. I had a deadline at noon and cropped my essay for hours
ahead of it. Then realised at half 11 that I was still 900 words over the
limit. 900. Words. I took the risky decision to lose my whole introduction. Meaning
my essay literally goes from its title to its argument. Not my best. Not my
best at all. Frankly, this essay is either going to win me awards or throw a
spanner in my whole degree. I kid you not.
BUT noon came and it was over! DONE. This afternoon, a godly
American genius in the Apple store gave me a new phone charger for free. I’m
not in warranty but he did it anyway. He was a saint. Then Specsavers returned
my vision to me. The glasses I’ve been holding together with Blutack for 3
weeks? I got to watch an optician sigh at the state of them, declare them
unrecyclable and throw them in a bin. She binned them.
And, cheering up… I bought a new candle and had a brew with
Woody and went to yoga. I even talked to my Mother Bear on the phone. Life goes
on. It does go on.
And now it’s… the weekend!! Mexican wave! And thank the
lord!
Out come the slippers. A good book to read. I’m going to
familiarise myself with the TV schedule. And so should you! Take it easy this
weekend! Keep calm and take some time for you. :) AND EAT PIZZA. This is my
message to you all. There’s nothing a good pizza can’t solve. Pizza is 100000%
on my menu tonight, after the day it’s been.
If you’re a brave soul like me and you want to try making
your own pizza from scratch, follow these 10 easy steps:
1. Heat your oven to 200˚C.
2. Tip your bread mix into a mixing bowl (for me, 250g was
half a pack of the mix, so I didn’t even measure it) and add a table spoon of
oil.
ChefBeHere Top Tip: I’m pretty sure ‘bread mix’ is flour and
yeast. So, if you don’t have any, just use flour and yeast. And if you aren’t claiming
to be on a diet like I am, you don’t need wholemeal flour. Be free and go with regular
flour!
3. Add a splash of warm water and begin to stir your mix, so
it comes together.
4. Keep adding little bits of water until you’ve formed
dough. Then use your hand to collect it together into a ball.
5. Lightly flour a surface and a rolling pin. Pop your ball
of dough on the surface and use the rolling pin roll it out into a big circle.
6. Fold over the edge so that it’s a bit thicker – your pizza
crust.
7. Hoist your pizza base onto a baking tray.
ChefBeHere Top Tip: This is a tricky move. I recommend
holding the tray at the edge of your work surface and having a go at sliding
the pizza base onto it. If you’re going to try to lift the base, I’d say speed
is of the essence. Or you’ll end up with one of the sad Pizza Express pizzas
with a hole in the middle. And then you’ll be forced to put salad in the hole.
8. Open and drain your pack of mozzarella. Use kitchen towel
to dry your cheese, then a sharp knife to slice it up.
9. Spread tomato puree over your pizza base then evenly
distribute rounds of mozzarella on top. If you like, add toppings too. I threw
some Quorn pepperoni and herbs on mine in the photo.
10. Bake in the oven for about quarter of an hour, until it
looks and smells like a delicious pizza! THEN DEVOUR IT.
This guy from last week, he didn’t last long…
And that’s really all there is to it! This makes a big,
treat plate of food. And doesn’t taste half bad! I’m not saying this is an
Italian masterpiece formula, there’s probably a small amount of magic involved
in throwing together an authentic, mind-blowing, Italiano marvelloso pizzayo.
But I think this does the trick pretty well, y’know.
And it’s really satisfying
to make your own pizza! This feels like, yes, I have produced something in my
kitchen. Totally from nothing. I cooked it up BIG-STYLE. I am a chef.
Have a go!! How do you rate your pizza compared to one from
the shop?? Do you like it? Can you taste the triumph of having made your own pizza???
Taste the triumph! And let me know about that taste, I want to hear your thoughts
on homemade pizza!
Remember: CHILL THIS WEEKEND.
And chef safely,
Hayley
Also, in case anyone was wondering... Woody's birthday cake was a smash hit!! 3 layer of chocolate sponge. Buttercream and jam. Galaxy chocolate frosting. Chocolate decorations. It could not fail! He had a great day. :)
Pre-frosting...
...and when it was all ready for candles!
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