Homemade pizza was definitely a staple meal in my home when I was a child. I even remember now when the only (and the most expensive) pizza option in town was Pizza Hut, so clearly doing your own pizza at home was the best decision.
My mom was always making the dough from scratch, topping the pizza with a all the veggies she had at hand. She was also using an egg to coat everything before transferring it into the oven and our pizza was always looking shiny, tasting more like a light veggie quiche, but yet so delicious.
Well since this changed a lot in the past decade, and all the Neapolitan ways of making it become so popular, so did my taste and the way I appreciate pizza.
Pizza doesn’t have to be fast food, actually, homemade pizza can be a nutritious meal if you are careful just a bit with the ingredients you are using. As Italians say, it’s not the pizza or the pasta that make you gain weight, but the quantity you eat and the ingredients you use to cook them.
This time I made my pizza dough with normal, all purpose flour. But I promise an update on this recipe as soon as I test it with the 00 type (which is the recommended flour for pizza). If you’re interested in learning more about the 00 flour type, you can find more information in here.
Expecting from homemade pizza the same taste and texture as the ones in the real pizzerias proved to be quite frustrating for me a few years back. There’s no way I can achieve the same pizza with my normal oven at home, which is also the case for the majority of us.
In the end it’s ok to have a different homemade pizza taste, and texture and trust me, it’s as delicious (and still thin crusty) as the ones you get in Italy.
I also decided to have the tomato sauce with a small twist, so I simmered it for 3-4 minutes with a garlic clove inside, a drizzle of olive oil and salt and pepper freshly grated. It’s amazing how tasty it become once the garlic clove slowly started to soften inside.
What you see in the dough are some coarse wheat bran I added into the flour, for a higher fibre intake.
The ingredients that go on top of the pizza are definitely up to you, but this is what I had in my fridge. So let’s call it maybe a leftover homemade pizza if you wish 🙂
The shiitake mushrooms (and I really encourage you to use them) have a meaty and delicious texture when cooked, so in this case can easily replace any prosciutto or ham.
And as I had some tomato sauce leftovers, I used it to top the freshly baked pizza, just to remember the old good times 🙂
I’ll leave you now with the recipe.
Drop me a comment if you try out the recipe and let me know your thoughts.
Love,
Cori
Homemade Pizza with Shiitake & Green Cauliflower
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Loading...Easy and light homemade pizza
Ingredients
- 155 gr. all purpose flour (includes 2 tbsp wheat bran)
- 70-80 ml lukewarm water
- 1/2 tsp dry yeast
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 green (or any) cauliflower head
- 300 ml tomato puree
- 150-200 gr. shiitake mushrooms
- 200-250 gr. mozarella
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- salt & pepper
- 1 tsp olive oil
Instructions
In a bowl combine the dry yeast with a bit of warm water. Let it dissolve for 5-7 minute or so.
Add the flour, wheat bran and salt. Start mixing the dough and add the remaining warm water. Adjust the amount of water based on the flour you use, it might differ, therefore add small quantities at a time.
Start kneading the dough until it absorbs all the flour and it's not sticky anymore. If it's still too sticky, add a bit more flour. Adjust it, until it forms a smooth ball, that spring back to you when you poke it.
Let the dough rest for 10-15 minutes.
Prepare the tomato sauce: In a small sauce pan, add the tomato puree, garlic clove, olive oil salt and pepper. Let it simmer for 3-4 minutes, and let it aside so the sauce can develop the garlicky flavour.
Divide the dough in 2. Roll it out with your hands or the rolling pin, until you get a thin round dough. Add the tomato sauce and top with the rest of the ingredients, cauliflower, mushrooms and mozzarella.
Bake the pizza at 220C for 10-15 minutes.
Serve warm with some extra sauce on top.
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