So tonight was a big step forward for mankind; I made a pizza, base and all, from scratch. As a student living away from home, this is dedicated to similar-situated people. It deters somewhat from all online recipes I've looked at, mainly due to me not being patient enough to let the yeast mix rise (nobody wants to prepare something for 2 hours when it's going to be eaten in ten minutes); all of that's unnecessary nonsense - it was genuinely delicious.

You'll need:
6g sachet of dry yeast mix
500g plain flour
4 spoons olive oil
200ml lukewarm water
2 or 3 small garlic cloves
500g chopped tomatoes (tinned; I used a tin "with garlic")
Mozarella cheese (buy the small bags of mozarella that come in water, that you have to drain)
Toppings (anything, really; tonight I used pepperoni and parma ham)

Firstly, the tomato sauce:
1. Crush or finely chop the garlic cloves and heat gently for 3-5 minutes in a little olive oil.
2. Add the tomatoes, simmer gently for 5 minutes.
3. Mash the tomatoes a little more so the mix is smooth.
4. Add some pepper and salt.

Now, for the pizza base:
1. Pour sachet of yeast into a mixing bowl.
2. Add 3 to 4 tablespoons of olive oil and the lukewarm water.
3. Pour in 3/4 of your 500g flour.
4. Stir the mixture till it becomes doughy; add more flour if needed (if it's sticky).
5. At this point, pre-heat your oven to 190C.
6. Take the solidified mix out of the bowl, put some flour onto the work surface and knead the dough so it can be rolled nice and even.
7. Roll the dough.
8. Use plenty of flour in the baking tray and place the dough on top.

Now:

1. Spread the tomato sauce thinly and evenly on the base and place in the oven for 5-10 minutes.
2. While baking, prepare your mozarella and toppings. Don't overdo the toppings; and remember, the mozarella tends to spread when melting. It depends how cheesy you want it.
3. Take the base out of the oven and apply toppings and cheese. I did cheese first and then the pepperoni and ham on top.
4. Place in the oven for a further 10-15 minutes, until the cheese is melted.

Voila. Enjoy.

Also, if you sprinkle some mixed herbs (you can buy them in jars) on both the tomato sauce while it's cooking and on the pizza when it's finished, you'll get that extra taste that makes all the difference.

Grams... spoons... milliliters... how's anyone in the civilized world supposed to follow that?

Whoops, sorry. I had no idea I was catering for barbarian hordes.

Sounds good but it seems like a lot of work.

Most homemade stuff like that is. Very rewarding, though; and tasty as!

I used the leftover mozarella and pepperoni this morning on a slice of toast for breakfast.

Sounds great, but are home ovens hot enough?

Si, senor! 190 degrees C should be nice and fine.

Thats only about 375°F and considering you're making it from scratch, thats a low temperature. Have you ever tried a higher temp??

What about a pizza stone?? Do you bake it on a pizza stone???

I've never heard of that.

What is a pizza stone?

It's a round stone that you put in the oven to get hot and then you bake your pizza on it. It crisps the crust very nicely because it retains the heat and distributes it evenly, which your oven can't do nearly as well.

Pizza Stone

Capo, that's great!!! It sure is a lot of work. What in the world came over you?

Now, can you critique your own cooking? Or, did it turn out to your satisfaction? Would you do it again? Lastly, I assume everyone enjoyed and "appreciated" it right?

Good work!


TIS

Made another t'other night. Use ciabatta mix instead of dried yeast; it's even quicker and more convenient. Tasty, too.

Tried the oven a bit hotter (220C), because I was doing chips at the same time. Burnt the mozarella a tad (or it went orange instead of white), but it was still fine.

Next I'm making it for myself, though; using tabasco sauce, crushed chillies and jalapenos.

Its SUPPOSED TO be a little orangish. How'd the crust turn out?

Lovely. A little crispier than I like (I'm a soft crust man, if that isn't an oxymoron), but still edible.