Thin crust pizza - how to

[gruntygiggles]

Well, posted about pizza on facebook and Luckypants asked me to share, but it's easier to show than tell...so here you go.

Laugh as much as you want, I have been using skin thickening ointment for the last few days in preparation ;-)


There is a video that failed to upload last night, but it's not an important one so I've left it out. It was just showing me making the first pizza, how to use not too much base sauce and not too much topping or cheese. The way to get great pizza is to remember...less is best!

Before you start the dough, put a flat baking sheet, bakestone or other flat metal or heatproof stone surface into the oven and preheat to 210c / gas 7. If you don't have a flat baking sheet, use a normal baking tray upsidedown.

When the pizza base is rolled out, put it onto another flat surface, like another upturned baking tray that is floured so that you can easily slide it off that and onto the hot tray in the oven. Maybe that video clip was important after all...ooops!

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll318/gruntygiggles/Food/th_DSCF2624.jpg (http://s291.photobucket.com/albums/ll318/gruntygiggles/Food/?action=view&current=DSCF2624.mp4)

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll318/gruntygiggles/Food/th_DSCF2625.jpg (http://s291.photobucket.com/albums/ll318/gruntygiggles/Food/?action=view&current=DSCF2625.mp4)

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll318/gruntygiggles/Food/th_DSCF2627.jpg (http://s291.photobucket.com/albums/ll318/gruntygiggles/Food/?action=view&current=DSCF2627.mp4)

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll318/gruntygiggles/th_DSCF2628.jpg (http://s291.photobucket.com/albums/ll318/gruntygiggles/?action=view&current=DSCF2628.mp4)

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll318/gruntygiggles/th_DSCF2632.jpg (http://s291.photobucket.com/albums/ll318/gruntygiggles/?action=view&current=DSCF2632.mp4)
Just a note, in the above video, I say to roll from the centre out and that it's important to do that with pastry and not to ever stretch pastry when you're rolling it. If you stretch pastry, it will receed in cooking and shrink. You'll notice that I am stretching this bread dough though as with bread dough, you need to stretch it out to the size you want. Also missing with the other vid is what the dough looks like when ready. You'll see above how thin the base is already at the end of the video. All you do from this point in start with your fingers or knuckles again to stretch the centre out a little thinner still, leave the edges. You want the edges to stay 1mm thicker than the centre and make the edge about 1/2 inch wide.

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll318/gruntygiggles/th_DSCF2635.jpg (http://s291.photobucket.com/albums/ll318/gruntygiggles/?action=view&current=DSCF2635.mp4)
The pesto bechamel in this is easy. Make a white sauce, add some grated parmesan and stir in some pesto...makes a really nomalicious base!

http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll318/gruntygiggles/th_DSCF2636.jpg (http://s291.photobucket.com/albums/ll318/gruntygiggles/?action=view&current=DSCF2636.mp4)

So there you have it. A recap of the ingredients:-

500g strong white bread flour
300ml tepid water
7g dried yeast (14g if using fresh)
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp caster sugar
1 tbsp olive oil

[Swin]

didn't work for me :(

[Bluepete]

404

[gruntygiggles]

What does 404 mean...I am the least it savvy person you'll ever meet.

I just logged out of photobucket and clicked a vid above and it worked fine ?

[minimorecambe]

Works for me Cheryl :)

[gruntygiggles]

Works for me Cheryl :)

Phew. Maybe it was just a loading thing with photobucket as I was looking at stuff on there myself. I shall stay away from photobucket...lol

[anna]

They all worked fine for me! Great work GG.

[Luckypants]

Well, posted about pizza on facebook and Luckypants asked me to share, but it's easier to show than tell...so here you go.

Bingo! Do not prove pizza dough! Reckon this is why mine come out like biscuits. Ta chezza.

Before you start the dough, put a flat baking sheet, bakestone or other flat metal or heatproof stone surface into the oven and preheat to 210c / gas 7. If you don't have a flat baking sheet, use a normal baking tray upsidedown.

When the pizza base is rolled out, put it onto another flat surface, like another upturned baking tray that is floured so that you can easily slide it off that and onto the hot tray in the oven. Maybe that video clip was important after all...ooops!

Just like Rick Stein suggests, works for me.

[gruntygiggles]

Has made me want to build a pizza oven in the garden...maybe a project for the spring :-)

Yes Mike...the beauty of this is that a 500g batch of dough will give you 6-8 pizzas depending on how big you have them or...do as I do and use half for pizza and half gets rubbed with oil and proven for an hour, knocked back, proven for another hour in a loaf tin and cooked.

I put dried oregano in the bread I made from the leftover of the above dough, proved it in the oven (put in cold oven, set to 50c, 5 mins later turn off oven and leave for an hour) only I left it all night as I was busy trying to upload these vids.
Came down in the morning, knocked it back a little, kneaded a bit and proved again then baked.....was no different despite being left overnight and the oregano is lovely. Not so much that you could really taste it, but enought that it gave it a lovely aroma and earthiness.

Note: the only reason I used the oven to prove is because the rest of the house was freeeeeezing...lol

[Quiff Wichard]

or buy them from Asda ! .. xxx

[gruntygiggles]

Oh and Mike...if you make pasta at home....you can do that start to plate within 30 minutes easily too. You don't need to rest pasta dough if you don't have time. You just have to knead it well and make sure the rollers are floured :-)
You can make the fresh pasta while the water is coming to a boil, salt the water and when the pasta is done and cut the way you want it, pop in the water and it'll be done in 2-3 minutes :-)

[gruntygiggles]

or buy them from Asda ! .. xxx

Ooooh, this reminds me....another thread coming...

[Luckypants]

Oh and Mike...if you make pasta at home....
Can't be chewed with that, too much faff. There are plenty of good dried ones about that I just have in. Pizza is different as the whole 'building it' process is fun and the results (should) be a treat. If I can get it to be consistently good I'll be doing more, although it may not help the diet! :mrgreen:

[gruntygiggles]

Can't be chewed with that, too much faff. There are plenty of good dried ones about that I just have in. Pizza is different as the whole 'building it' process is fun and the results (should) be a treat. If I can get it to be consistently good I'll be doing more, although it may not help the diet! :mrgreen:

Use wholmeal bread flour :-) when the crust is this thin you'll feel much less guilty...lol.

I know what you mean about Pasta. I use dried almost all the time. Only time I make my own really is for raviolli!

[Milky Bar Kid]

You might have made Stretchie put a clean jumper on that the cuffs weren't all covered in oil n crap! Teehee!!!

Very good Chez, I am mucho impressed!

[gruntygiggles]

LOL @ Nic....yeah, he'd been mini moto fixing!