Homemade Pizza

Pizza is a favorite of everyone; young and old alike! It's Italian by origin but you will find different flavor's of Pizza in every region of the world and in every household, everyone has their own way of making it. Pizza is something that I have literally grown up eating and that my Mom made quite often for us. She learnt making it from one of my Dad's friend's wife, they became our family friends later and we used to visit each other regularly. Both the Uncle and Aunty has passed away now but the memories of the time spent with them are still alive with us. May they both rest in peace, Ameen Sum Ameen.

As a little girl, I remember watching my mother making Pizza with quite an interest and with the anticipation of eating it soon. All of us siblings used to get so excited whenever she announced that she's making Pizza for dinner. I then started offering help to her with putting the toppings on the Pizza base smeared well with the Marinara Sauce or in other words the Pizza sauce which was available commercially. She made Pizza with cooked beef mince mostly with loads of other delicious toppings and lots of cheese covering them all. In it went to the oven to get baked then and the aroma wafting from the kitchen made us expectant children incredibly hungry and happy :D Those were the days when just eating your favorite food made you immensely happy but I still have that child alive inside and I am not willing to let it go ever.
As we grew up older, we always wanted chicken on Pizza therefore, my Mom switched to making with it. 

I remember we once held a Pizza party at home and that was the time when I actually learnt making Pizza from my mother. I was 13 at the time and observed how she kneaded the dough. The recipe that my Mom learnt to make from the Aunty used egg and milk and she always used the jar of Pizza sauce but after some years when I took on the role of the Pizza making myself, I simplified the dough recipe after reading several authentic Italian dough recipes and started making my own Marinara sauce as well.

The Pizza dough that I make, I add wholewheat flour to it along with the all-purpose one and my recipe does neither include any egg or milk powder and nor does it require milk to knead it. The addition of the wholewheat flour not only gives a beautiful color to the pizza crust but does enhance the flavors too. The authentic Marinara sauce recipe does not have any mention of adding dried Oregano leaves in it but I do add it in mine hence, you can say that's the only exception I've made to the authentic method as I love both the aroma and flavor of this herb.

The another trick my mom used and that I have continued using is that after spreading the sauce all over the Pizza base, sprinkle some of the cheese and then put all of your toppings over it and without topping everything with the grated mixed Mozzarella and Cheddar, bake into a preheated and very hot oven.This way it is ensured that both the crust and toppings are well cooked as the ovens at home aren't designed the way they are specially for pizza making in the commercial kitchens hence, by the time the pizza is cooked at home, the cheese gets hard and dark in color. To avoid that mess, we add the cheese after the pizza at cooked. By putting some cheese on the pizza base helps in keeping all the toppings in place and just sticks to the crust and you won't be getting it all over the place :)

After the Pizza is baked and everything including the crust is cooked through, we then top it with loads of cheese and in it goes again to the oven but this time just to melt the cheese and to give some color to it just by turning the top grill on. Once done, we take it out and let stand for a few minutes before serving it with Coleslaw and chilled Coke. This is not a healthy meal by any means but I do make a lighter version of the Coleslaw that I have shared the recipe of in my next post. Please find it here 

We have one round baking pan and the other is square so we always have two shapes of Pizza that we don't mind about at all as long as the Pizza is yummy! :D

Let's get some Pizza love Unleashed today! :D 

Homemade Pizza

Ingredients:

Dough

(for one large Pizza)

All-Purpose Flour: 2 1/2 cups.

Wholewheat Flour: 1 cup
Salt: 1 tsp.Yeast: 1 pack (yields 2 1/4 tsp, active dry yeast or instant)
Sugar: 1 tbsp.
Olive Oil: 4 tbsp.
Lukewarm Water: as much as required to knead the dough.
Fine Semolina: 3 tbsp.

Marinara Sauce/Pizza Sauce:

Ripe Tomatoes: 500 gm/1.10 lbs (cut into small cubes)

Onion: 1 medium sized (chopped)

Fresh Garlic: 5,6 pods (finely chopped)

Olive Oil: 1 tbsp.

Salt: 1/2 tsp.

Brown Sugar: 1

Dried Oregano Leaves: 1/2 tsp.

Toppings:

Chicken: 1 cup (cooked and shredded or cubed, however you like it)

Bell Pepper/Capsicum: 1 large (sliced)

Onion: 1 large (sliced)

Canned Mushrooms: 5,6 (sliced)

Olives: 1/4 cup (sliced)

Mozzarella Cheese: 1 cup (grated)

Cheddar Cheese: 1 cup (grated)

Dried Oregano Leave: 1 tsp.

Red Chilli Flakes: 1/2 tsp (optional)

Method:

1. Mix all the dry ingredients for the dough together in a large mixing bowl expect for the semolina.
2. If using the dry active yeast, then activate it according to the package instructions.
3. Make a well in the middle of the mixed dry ingredients and pour the liquids in to it. 
4. Using a fork, bring the flour in gradually from the sides and swirl it into the liquid. 
5. Keep mixing, drawing larger amounts of flour in, and when it all starts to come together, work the rest of the flour in with your clean, flour-dusted hands. 
6. Knead until you have a smooth, springy dough. Place the ball of dough in a large flour-dusted bowl and flour the top of it. 
7. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth/tea towel and place it at a warm place for about 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size. 
8. While the dough proofs or doubles in size, prepare the Marinara sauce.
9. In a heavy bottomed saucepan, pour the olive oil and let it heat over medium flame.
10. Now add the chopped onion and the garlic. Add the salt, mix and let everything sweat away for a bit.
11. Once the onions and garlic softens, add the chopped tomatoes to them along with the brown sugar.
12. Mix everything together well and cover the pot with the lid.
13. Let this simmer over slow flame for 10-15 minutes.
14. Uncover and you will see that lots of juices has been released from all the ingredients mixed together and the tomatoes have turned mushy.
15. With a help of a hand-held blender, blend everything to the smooth sauce.
16. Return this sauce over to the flame and cook for a few more minutes. Be careful while cooking the sauce. It will be bubbling over the flame and their is a possibility of the hot sauce getting on to your hand therefore, keep it covered and stir it carefully every now and then.
17. Once the sauce thickens a fair bit, turn off the flame and let it cool down completely before using. You can store it in an airtight jar and keep it refrigerated and it can stay well for up to 1 week.
18. Once the dough doubles in size, remove it to a flour-dusted surface and knead it around a bit to push the air out with your hands - this is called punching down the dough. 
19. You can either use it immediately, or keep it, wrapped in plastic wrap, in the fridge (or freezer) until required. 
20. If using straightaway, sprinkle semolina over your greased pizza pan. Roll out the dough about 1/4 inch thick and gently transfer it to your pan.
21. Leave it resting for 15-20 mins while you prepare your toppings. 
22. Preheat the oven over 200C/400F/Gas-Mark 6.
23. Spread the sauce over the rolled out pizza dough and sprinkle a little of both the cheeses over it.
24. Now put all the toppings over it and let the pizza bake into the preheated oven on the middle rack for 15-20 minutes or till everything is cooked through.
25. Take out the pizza when its done and top this cooked pizza with the remaining cheeses, sprinkle the dried oregano leaves and the chilli flakes over the top.
26. Place the pizza back into the oven and turn on the top grill. Let it stay under the grill till the cheeses melt and obtain golden color.
27. Turn off the grill and take it out of the oven. Let it stand for a few minutes before serving.
28. Serve hot with the salad and drinks of your choice. Enjoy.

Makes one 16 inches Pizza

Notes: 

1. Dough can be kneaded with the help of a stand mixer and a hook attachment if you do not wish to use the classic way of making it.
2. Sauce can be made with the canned tomatoes too instead of using the fresh one. 
3. If you wish to make the sauce spicy, just add a little bit of red chilli powder to it while its cooking. 
4. The leftover sauce can be stored in an airtight jar and keeps well refrigerated for up to a week. This sauce can also be used in pasta, lasagna or any other dish that requires the use of a Marinara sauce. 
5. You can use any topping of your choice

That's all Pizza Fans! :) Baking time can always be adjusted according to the type of your ovens. I hope you enjoy ,making and eating it. Until next time, keep sharing the goodness of this greatest blessing, that has been bestowed in abundance upon us the lucky ones, with the less fortunate ones.
Thank you and please remember in your Du'as/prayers! :)

*Not be duplicated, rewritten or published without permission- Thank you! 

Chicken & Cheese Stuffed Bread

Ramadan Kareem! to all the Muslims around the globe and Cook Unleashed's followers along with those who aren't Muslims and do not observe this month. Islam is the religion of peace and harmony and Ramadan (the Muslim month of fasting) came upon us as a message of patience, tolerance and universal brotherhood so greetings of this scared month to all :) May Allah accept our Ibadah (prayers), forgive our sins and transgressions and bestow His special blessings upon all of us. May Allah show and keep us all on the right path. Ameen Sum Ameen. Kindly remember everyone in your du'as (prayers) esp. all the Muslims who are suffering in different parts of the world. Jazak'Allah Khair! (May Allah reward you)

It was the 4th day of fasting here in this region while I was jotting down these line and my oh my, apart of all the excruciatingly hot days, its going well, Alhumdulilah (thanks to Allah) and The Greatest of all has been so kind to send down the shower and the day is milder and cooler today, All praises to Him. The thirst does bother you in the day but its nothing that unbearable besides, the purpose of this month is not only to train your body physically but to spiritually as well and that's the real essence of this month. After going without any food or liquid intake, for the sake of Allah, for as long as 21 hours in some places, the breaking of the fast time would arrive at sunset and we break our fast by eating and drinking from the amazing blessing Allah has bestowed upon us in the form of food! We are advised to share not only with our neighbors but esp. with the ones who cannot afford to have on their own thus, the message this month of peace gives is of harmony and sharing and caring. So those of you who didn't know what this month is about, I tried to explain it a little :)

Since Iftaar (breaking of the fast meal) is a kind of a celebration time for the Muslims therefore delicious and rich food mostly prepared in every household. The most common Iftaar snacks prepared in the South Asian countries specially Pakistan is fried and spicy hence, continuing that tradition, I have so far prepared the similar dishes like Pakoray, Aloo Pakoray, Dahi Bharay Chaat, Kalay Chanay kee Chaat and few others but we try to stay away from the fried food therefore, I baked my Mom's favorite Chicken & Cheese Stuffed Bread as well. The recipe of the scrumptious dishes I have mentioned above are already on my blog and today, I'll be sharing the stuffed bread :)

Italian Stromboli inspired bread

The type of stuffed bread I make  is basically inspired by the Italian Stromboli in which meat and cheese is stuffed in a turnover and then baked. My very first attempt at making it was quite similar to the Stromboli that I made in the Ramadan of 2013 and since then, it has become a regular part of our Iftaar menu, This bread is a complete meal in itself yet so light that you can have it at even Sahoor time (pre-dawn meal before fasting) My recipe is quite simple plus, I use whole-wheat flour to make it therefore its light on the stomach as well. I always make extra loaves so that we share them with our neighbors as well along with the other people of Allah :) I'm sure after trying out this recipe you'd like to do the same but I would love to know that what do you like to make for Iftaar and love sharing with your family, friends and the other fellow Muslims and believers :)

Shall we begin some baking for Iftaar with the religious fervor Unleashed today? Here we go! :D  

Chicken Stuffed Bread

Ingredients:

Whole-Wheat Flour: 2 1/2 + 1/2 cups (you can use all-purpose flour instead)

Yeast: 1/2 tbsp. (use according to the package instructions)

Salt: 1 tsp.

Sugar: 1 tsp.

Olive Oil: 2 Tbsp + 1 tbsp. 

Water: for kneading

Sesame Seeds: 1 tsp.

Nigella Seeds: 1 tsp.

For the stuffing:

Chicken: 1 cup (boiled and shredded)

Onion: 1 small sized (finely chopped)

Bell Pepper/Capsicum: 1 medium sized (finely chopped)

Cheese Slices: 2 (you can use shredded Mozzarella instead) 

Tomato Ketchup: 1/2 cup

Chicken Stock: 1/4 cup (reserved from boiling the chicken. Can use milk or plain water instead)

Salt: 1/2 tsp.

Black Pepper Powder: 1/2 tsp.

Oregano: 1/4 tsp.

Dried Basil: 1/4 tsp.

Rosemary: 1/4 tsp.

Butter: 1 tbsp.

Method:

1. follow the instructions on the package to activate the yeast if you are not using the instant yeast but the dry active one (I used dry active)
2. Mix all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl (reserve the extra 1/2 cup of flour for dusting) 
3. Keep mixing with the help of an electric mixer and slowly add the liquids. Mix till it turns in to a dough. 
4. Remove the paddle and replace it with the hook attachment and knead the dough until it becomes elastic. 
5. If using hands then make a well in the middle of the mixed dry ingredients for the dough and slowly add the liquids in it. Mix with the help of a wooden spoon until a smooth dough is formed. Knead well with the help of your hands on a floured surface for a few mins. Add extra dry flour to prevent sticking.
6. Form the prepared dough into a ball and place it in to a greased bowl (use the remaining 1 tbsp. of oil) Cover with a damp tea-towel and place the bowl at some warm place to let it rise (can take up to 2 hours depending on the region/temperature)
7. For the filling, heat 1 tbsp. of butter in a cooking pan and add one chopped onion till little soft and translucent.
8. Now add the chopped bell pepper. Sauté for a few seconds and add a tbsp. of flour to it. Mix well.
9. Add 1 cup of the boiled and shredded chicken with 1/4 cup of its stock (or milk/water) and cook for a minute or two.
10. Season with salt, black pepper, oregano, dried basil, rosemary and give a good mix.
11. At this stage, the stuffing should be a bit sticky but not wet.
12. Turn off the heat and let it cool for a while
13. Take out the prepared dough, which have been fairly risen by now, on a floured surface, after punching out the air from it.
14. Roll it out in an oval shape to approx 12 inches long, 10 inches width and 1/2 inch in thickness.
15. Spread the ketchup in the middle of the rolled out dough by leaving approx 1 inch on the top and bottom and 3 inches of the dough plain on each side. (shown in the photo below)
16. Put the topping over the ketchup and the cheese slices cut into half on top of the it.
17. Now cut slanted strips of 1/2 inch thickness of the left out plain dough starting from the edges of the topping till the end of the dough (shown in the photo below)
18. Fold the top end of the dough over the topping and start overlapping the cut strips so that all the topping is covered but you can still see it through the folded strips.
19. Tuck in the bottom of the left out plain dough before the final overlapping.
20. Transfer the bread on to a greased baking tray and cover it with the damp tea-towel for 10-15 minutes to proof it again.
21. After the 2nd and final  proof, brush the prepared bread dough with a beaten egg and sprinkle the sesame seeds and/or nigella seeds on it.
22. Bake it in a preheated oven at 200 C/390 F/Gas Mark 6 for 20-25 mins or until the top of the bread turns golden and sounds hollow upon tapping.
23. Serve warm as a whole or cut in to slices. Enjoy.

Makes 1 loaf and serves 6 approx.

Note:

If you wish to make the bread like an Italian Stromboli, after the dough is ready, knead it well and roll it out on a flat surface, preferably into a square shape. Now place the toppings as instructed above. Join both the edges of the rolled dough together and seal it well. Now flip the prepared stuffed dough over and transfer on to the greased baking tray. Make some slanted slits on it with the help of a knife and follow the instructions above to bake it. 

That's all bakers! :) The spice level and the baking time can always be adjusted according to your taste buds and type of ovens. I hope you enjoy making and eating it. Until next time, keep sharing the goodness of this greatest blessing, that has been bestowed in abundance upon us the lucky ones, with the less fortunate ones.
Thank you and please this Ramadan do remember everyone esp. The Ummah-e-Muslimeen (Muslim Nation) in your Du'as/prayers including me :)

Jazak'Allah Khair! (May Allah reward you)

*Not be duplicated, rewritten or published without permission- Thank you!