Thin Crust Pepperoni and Mushroom Pizza

Ingredients
For the crust

*   Plain Flour (Maida) – 2⅓ cups
*   Active dry yeast – 2 tsp, heaped
*   Sugar – ½ tsp
*   Lukewarm water – ¼ cup
*   Milk – ¾ cup
*   Oil – 1.5 tbsp (I used Sunflower oil)
*   Salt – 1 tsp
*   Sugar – 1 tsp

For the topping

*   Pizza Sauce – ½ – ¾ cup
*   Sliced pepperoni – 150 gms
*   Sliced mushroom – 1- 1.5 cups
*   Onion – 1 big, sliced
*   Capsicum – 1 medium, sliced
*   Whole black olives – 10-12, sliced
*   Grated cheese – 1.5 – 2 cups (I used a mix of mozzarella and cheddar)

Instructions

Preheat the oven at 180 C, 10 mins before baking.
Mix lukewarm water and sugar (1/2 tsp) in a deep bowl. Feel the water with finger to check if it’s lukewarm. add yeast to this and shake it gently. Cover and leave it in a warm place till the yeast granules disappear and becomes frothy. If it doesn’t swell discard it and start with another batch.
Mix together milk, oil, salt and sugar (1 tsp) in a bowl. When yeast becomes frothy, heat the milk mixture to make it lukewarm (MW it for 20-25 seconds). Add the frothy yeast mix to the lukewarm mixture. Add this combined wet ingredients to plain flour and knead well to make a smooth dough. The dough is ready when it is smooth and non sticky.
Grease a deep bowl with oil (I used olive oil) and put the dough in it. Cover it with cling film. Keep it in a warm place for one hour or until double in size. Punch the risen dough to original size, brush it with oil and keep again for rising for 15 mins or till it swells again.
Make 3 equal size balls from the dough. Roll it out on dusted surface using fingers or a rolling pin. Prick the base with a fork. Transfer it to the baking dish.
Mix together sliced mushroom, onion and capsicum. Drizzle olive oil generously. Season it with salt, pepper and a pinch of dried oregano.
Brush the rolled out and pricked dough with Olive oil. Spread a spoon full of Pizza sauce. Sprinkle some grated cheese on top. Place your mushroom and pepperoni toppings. Sprinkle again some grated cheese on the toppings. Sprinkle a pinch of dried oregano.
Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 mins. Refer notes section for the baking details.

Notes
For veggie options, you can skip pepperoni and follow the rest of the recipe. You can make large, medium or small size pizza to suit your requirements. I made 6 small-medium size pizzas with the above qty. I baked it at 180 C, for 10-12 mins. If you prefer a soft crust, keep a close watch on the pizza after 10 mins. I rolled out the pizza using a rolling pin and cut out a round shape using a lid. I rolled it slightly thicker than chapathi. You can store the left over dough in fridge for 2-3 days. Make sure you wrap the dough tightly in a cling film. Bring the dough to room temp before baking, knead it a little and follow the rest of the recipe.

 

-Marias Menu

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