Assalamualaikum wa rahmatulahi wa barakatu!
Is it already Monday? Alhamdulilah ! Yay Monday's!
This is the post where I get to share with you my great recipes that are just so memorable! Always remembering that food is truly one of the biggest blessings from Allah. We should never waste our food and if we have left overs we can either use them for homemade facial masks or feed the little animals out on our porch ( I had a entourage of friendly critters in my balcony when I had leftovers! Masha'Allah the squirrels became so chubby!)
If we really take a moment to contemplate just how beautiful food really is! I mean, the colours of the different fruits and vegetables in all the different regions all over the world, the textures, the sweetness Subhana'Allah! The most amazing thing is how everything can be blended together to make a delicious savory meal! *sigh*, Alhamdulilah for food, what a big big blessing...and so many people take it for granted. May Allah protect us from gluttony and may we always remembering the beautiful blessings of food. Ameen!
Now for my lovely recipe for today! Homemade PIZZA!
I don't know about you, but pizza has always been an ALL-TIME favourite of mine!! I love me' a pepperoni and cheese pizza with some olives and mushrooms (but halal pepperoni is hard to find around my 'no-man's land' of a town) So I opt for a mildly long drive to the halal market so I can have my very own personalized pizza!
Here is what you need:
for the crust:
3 1/2 to 4 cups bread flour, plus more for rolling (bread flour add more texture and a crispier crust, but you can settle for all-purpose white flour, or whole wheat! It's entirely up to you!)
Is it already Monday? Alhamdulilah ! Yay Monday's!
This is the post where I get to share with you my great recipes that are just so memorable! Always remembering that food is truly one of the biggest blessings from Allah. We should never waste our food and if we have left overs we can either use them for homemade facial masks or feed the little animals out on our porch ( I had a entourage of friendly critters in my balcony when I had leftovers! Masha'Allah the squirrels became so chubby!)
If we really take a moment to contemplate just how beautiful food really is! I mean, the colours of the different fruits and vegetables in all the different regions all over the world, the textures, the sweetness Subhana'Allah! The most amazing thing is how everything can be blended together to make a delicious savory meal! *sigh*, Alhamdulilah for food, what a big big blessing...and so many people take it for granted. May Allah protect us from gluttony and may we always remembering the beautiful blessings of food. Ameen!
Now for my lovely recipe for today! Homemade PIZZA!
Here is what you need:
for the crust:
3 1/2 to 4 cups bread flour, plus more for rolling (bread flour add more texture and a crispier crust, but you can settle for all-purpose white flour, or whole wheat! It's entirely up to you!)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 envelope instant dry yeast
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 1/2 cups water, 110 degrees F (if the water is too hot it will kill the yeast and then the dough wont rise :( ! So becareful)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus 2 teaspoons
Combine all in one bowl (I don't have an electrical mixer so I do it old school styles, and mix it with a fork lol)
-bread flour
-sugar
-yeast
-salt
Then slowly add the water bit by bit and 2 tablespoons of the oil and mix until the dough forms into a ball
(note: if the dough is sticky, keep adding flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough comes together in a solid ball. If the dough is too dry, add additional water, 1 tablespoon at a time. )
Knead into a ball (i usually do this in the bowl, but you can use a clean surface, up to you)
Grease the bowl with the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil, add the dough, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put it in a WARM area to let it double in size, about 1 hour.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide it into 2 equal pieces. Cover each with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let them rest for 10 minutes.
For the toppings:
- Marble cheese (or what ever kind of cheese you prefer)
- Halal pepperoni (don't forget to remove the paper casing, I realised this after I ate some lol)
- Green olives
- Mushrooms
- Tomatoes
*note* These are my favourite toppings, but you can definitely use your own!
- Tomato PASTE ( I've never used tomato sauce as I think it takes away from the taste of the pizza)
- Oregano spice, Rosemary spice, Basil spice (you can use fresh or dried) and some salt and pepper to taste
I personally don't measure any of these ingredients because pizza's are usually made to a person's own preference! You can go less or more! But I go more with the cheese and the pepperoni and olives!
Pizza prep:
Preheat oven to 425C
Grease your pizza pan with oil and dust with a bit of flour so it wont stick to your pan, you can also just roll your dough out and put it on parchment paper (which makes for a better crust).
Apply toppings generously, starting with the tomato paste then your spices & salt. Then sprinkle as much cheese as you want, and place your toppings over the cheese leaving your pepperoni for last. Finally sprinkle more cheese (mmmm !) and then sprinkle light some final spices!
Into the oven it goes for 15-20 minutes depending how well done you want your pizza ! Let the pizza cool a bit, and then slice ( I don't have a slicer so I use a knife , lol )
This is definitely something memorable you can share with your loved ones! You can make always invite your kids, husband, or lovely sisters into the kitchen to help you out! Surely a true bonding experience!
Bil3afia & Enjoy!
