‘Pizza’ holds a special place in my heart (read stomach). We possess special bond because it was the only thing I could eat happily (without throwing up) while I was expecting E. Since then my love for pizza has grown even stronger. Thank you so much ‘Pizza’ for supporting me through thick and thin :p Lol

I always wondered is it too difficult to make pizzas at home? Never bothered to find an answer to this question though. Because when we used to live in the UAE; neither did I have access to an oven nor I was interested to try it on a stove. And there were lots of restaurants to order from. These reasons were good enough to keep me from preparing the said item at home.

But now things have changed; we don’t have many options to order pizza from – the ones that serve halal pizzas are not as good and I have got my hands on an oven too hence the experiment.

I have eaten thousands of pizzas (I believe); many tasted delicious but some were a total disappointment too. Even though I was super excited to try out the recipe but I was slightly afraid (from the inside) that probably my pizza will fall into the latter category. Nevertheless, it was just the first attempt!

While the ‘making’ was in progress I realized that not only consuming but the whole process of prepping for pizza is equally thrilling and exciting. The dough rising with time, pizza crust turning light brown as you take a sneak peek inside the oven, cheese bubbling while the pizza is being transferred from oven to countertop. Each and every stage gives you a sense of accomplishment and happiness. I never imagined that the pizza making exercise would be this much fun. I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it.

And oh my my! The pizza turned out to be awesomely delish too. HI was not hungry when I served it but he couldn’t stop taking more slices, E uttered ‘yummy’ and finished the slice in (her) record time. We 3 finished the whole (large sized) pizza in just 15 minutes, yaaass. Even I was so happy with myself, I did a great job both with cooking and eating. Lol, self-pat on the back! 😀

I guess, enough of raving and chit chat now. The recipe for said ‘happiness and excitement’ is as follows:

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About Pizza: A yeasted flatbread usually topped with cheese, meat and other condiments. Ancient Greeks used to supplement their bread with oils and herbs to make it more flavourful and in the 6th century BC, the soldiers in Persian King Darius I’s armies baked flatbreads with cheese and dates on top of their battle shield. Modern pizza evolved from similar flatbread dishes in Naples, Italy in the 18th or early 19th century. It was brought to the United States with Italian immigrants in the late nineteenth century.

Do you know:  ‘National Pizza Month’ is observed annually in the month of October in the United States and some areas of Canada.

Rating:   

Cuisine: Italian

Course:  Main

Makes:	2 large pizzas	Ease Level:
Prep Time:	2.5 hrs	Quickness:
Baking Time:	15-20 mins	Spice Level:

 Above ratings are out of 5, with 5 being the ‘most’.
The cooking and prep timings are calculated while working simultaneously.

GET:

Cutting Board
Knife
Big Bowl(s)
Frying pan
Cooking spoons
Oven
Baking Tray/ Pizza Pan
Parchment/ Baking Paper
Cling wrap/ Damp cloth

SET:

Pizza Dough Ingredients

Sugar 1.5 tsp
Warm Water 1/2 cup
Instant Yeast 1.5 tsp
Salt 1 tsp
Oil 5 tsp
Milk 1/4 cup
All-purpose Flour 2.5 cups
Additional oil for greasing and kneading

Chicken Ingredients

Chicken boneless 300 gms (cut in small cubes)
Garlic Paste 1/2 tbsp
Salt 1/2 tsp
Soy Sauce 1 tbsp
Chilli Sauce 1 tbsp
Black Pepper Powder 1/2 tsp
Crushed Red Chilli 1 tsp
Vinegar 1 tbsp
Oil 2 tbsp

Pizza Sauce Ingredients

Oil 3tbsp
Garlic (chopped) 1 tbsp
Tomato paste/puree 1 cup
Tomato 1 medium (chopped)
Tomato Sauce/ Ketchup 1/2 cup
Red chilli powder 1 tsp
Chilli flakes 1/2 tsp
Salt 1/2 tsp
Oregano 1.5 tsp
Thyme 1.5 tsp
Water as required

Topping & Baking Ingredients:

Mozzarella cheese (shredded)
Cheddar cheese (shredded)
Capsicums (julienne cut)
Tomatoes (julienne cut)
Onions (julienne cut)
Oil (for greasing)
Flour (for dusting)

GO:

For Pizza Dough:

• In a large bowl, combine water and sugar and sprinkle yeast on top to re-hydrate.
• After the yeast is a bit foamy, add in salt, oil, milk and flour.
• Mix well until it comes together to form a dough.
• Knead until smooth and all flour is incorporated and the dough is no longer sticky.
• Grease a bowl with oil, coat dough ball with oil and cover with a damp towel or cling wrap.
• Let rise in a warm place for 1-2 hours or until doubled in size.
• Knead the dough again, cover and rest again for 30 minutes.

For Chicken Chunks: Marinate chicken cubes with all the marination ingredients for about half an hour, fry them in oil until done.
For Pizza Sauce: pour oil in a pan, add chopped garlic when oil is heated and fry for 2 minutes. Then add all other ingredients and Cook for 2 minutes until the sauce simmers.
Time to assemble the pizza:

• Place parchment paper in a pan or baking tray.
• Grease with more oil and sprinkle dry flour over it generously.
• Pat dough out using your fingertips in a big circle.
• Spread with pizza sauce, top with cheese and your favourite toppings.
• Bake in a preheated 200-degree oven for 14-15 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese is melty.

Serve hot and enjoy.

And have a look at my pizzas 😉

MY TWO CENTS:

Adjust the spices to suit your taste buds.
Don’t add a single drop of extra water while preparing the dough.
Don’t use too hot water for dough or you will kill your yeast.
You can skip the foaming part when using ‘instant yeast’. Don’t do that when using active dry yeast.
Preheat the oven while you are prepping the batter to save time.
I have an electric oven hence the temperature and cooking times. These times may vary depending on the type of oven you have. (Refer to your oven’s user manual for time queries – that is what I did 🙂 )
You can use your favourite toppings while assembling the pizza.

Hope you’ll enjoy trying it out.
I’d love to get your feedback. Feel free to drop a comment below about your experience.

Happy Pizza-ing! 😉

Also, today marks the FIRST ANNIVERSARY of Breaks & Bites… Yippieee!!
Thank you all for all the love and support. I feel more enthusiastic and energetic now, so much exciting stuff is about to befall in the coming year and ahead… So stay tuneddd peeps 🙂