Herby Home-made Pizza Base

(makes 2 pizzas)

Well, we all love the idea of home-made pizza, (well, at least I do ;) ), but so many pizza base recipes are rather, well, boring...and since I'm an italian herbs ADDICT, I thought, why not toss a few bits and bobs in here and there and see what happened...so, this is my little twist on the classic pizza base.

(yummy!)

 I topped mine with peppers, mushrooms, olives and oak-smoked cheddar cheese, by the way.

Ingredients

·         7 grams quick-rise yeast (1 sachet)

·         250ml  warm water 

·         1 teaspoon sugar

·         1-1/2 teaspoons salt, 

·         750g all-purpose flour

·         2 tablespoons cornmeal

·         1 tablespoon olive oil

·         2-3 tablespoons dried herbs

Directions

·         Preheat the oven to 220°C or 200°C for a fan oven. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add the sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 500g flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.

·         Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes, adding 2-3 tablespoons of any dried herbs throughout the kneading. Cover with a damp cloth and let rest in a warm spot for 10 minutes.

·         Sprinkle cornmeal over two 12-in. pizza pans coated with cooking spray. Divide dough in half. On a floured surface, roll each portion into a 13-in. circle. Transfer to prepared pans. Build up edges slightly. Prick dough thoroughly with a fork; brush with oil. Bake at 220°C (200°C for a fan oven) for 5-8 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.

·         Spread over crusts, toppings. Bake 15-20 minutes longer at the same temperature or until crusts are lightly browned and any cheese is melted. 

·         Yield: 2 pizzas (6 slices per pizza).

 Et voila!

xx