Pouring rain on Saturday night saw us shelve plans to head out for a family dinner at our favourite pizzeria in Leichhardt. Instead I created our own pizza pasta parlour at home, whipping up these four flavoursome pizzas alongside a Napoletana mascarpone cheese pasta bake. 

Although I had stocked up the pantry and fridges with enough supplies to to cook up a myriad of meals, I had forgotten to buy pizza cheese. Something is always left off the list! Now when I say pizza cheese I mean either the traditional pale yellow mozzarella, or soft white balls of bocconcini. The moment called for edible improvisation. I rummaged in the dairy fridge and gathered together a selection of other cheese varieties I had on hand, including parmesan for sharpness; creamy Colby for supreme “meltability” – yes, it’s an actual word – and a crumbly, full flavoured vintage cheddar. Sliced thinly along with a fine grating of parmesan, the cheese trio formed the perfect bubbling partnership to the sliced mushrooms, aromatic capsicum, smokey ham and and fresh basil toppings. 

Home made dough topped with fresh ingredients, ready to go into a hot oven. 


Although my domestic oven does not impart that distinct wood fired taste or slightly charred appearance of a professional pizza oven, it still did a superb job of turning out crispy thin crust pizzas in less than 15 minutes. The bulk of the preparation time is allowing the dough to rest, but hey I’m not suggesting you stand around watching it rise millimetre by millimetre. No, no, during the proving time, set to work on the pasta bake so that both dishes can be pulled out and served up simultaneously. 

Pizza Dough – this will make 4 x 30cm thin crust pizzas. I double this quantity for my family of eight when I am only serving pizza. But when there is another dish on offer, this single quantity is sufficient. 

1 x 7 gram sachets of dried yeast ( I previously used 2 sachets but found the dough too yeasty for my liking, however it comes down to personal preference). 
3 teaspoons sugar
3 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
500 grams 00  baker’s/pizza flour
300 mls warm water
semolina

Using a measuring jug, fill it up with 300 ml of warm water and add the yeast, sugar, salt, olive oil and stir gently to combine. Put the jug aside for 10 – 15 minutes until the contents become thick and frothy.

In a large bowl measure out the flour, make a well in the middle and pour in the yeast mixture once ready. Using your hands which should be very clean, mix the contents together, drawing the dry flour in from the sides. Add a little more water if needed.

Once you have a mass of dough, turn this out onto a clean bench lightly dusted with flour. Knead for a good 5 minutes until the dough becomes soft, but pliable and beautifully silky.

Lightly oil your original mixing bowl and pop the dough inside. Cover with a clean tea towel and place in a warm spot (I find the bench next to the oven works well) for 30 minutes until it has doubled in size. * I turn my oven on as soon as I start to make the pizza dough so that the area around the oven is warm. This helps the dough to rise. Now, move on to making the sauce.

You can use a good quality bottled sauce such as Don Antonio or Mutti,  or make your own as follows. 


Pizza Sauce Ingredients – this is enough for 4 large pizzas.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium garlic clove crushed
1 x 400 gram tin of crushed or diced tomatoes
half a teaspoon dried Italian herbs or 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano and 1 cup of shredded fresh basil leaves

Heat up the olive oil over a medium setting and add the garlic. Fry for a minute taking care not to let it burn. Add all the other ingredients. Bring to the boil, then immediately turn the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes.

Back to the pizza dough…

Once your dough has risen, punch it down and then scoop it out onto your bench which has been sprinkled with semolina. Quickly knead the dough back into a plump, round shape and then cut it into four even pieces. Use your rolling pin to knead each piece into flat, thin circles to fit your pizza trays.

Lightly brush each tray with olive oil before placing the rolled out dough onto each one. Use the tips of your fingers to press the dough up against the rim of each pizza pan.

Spread each base with the home cooked pizza sauce and then add your favourite toppings.

Into a preheated oven at 200 degrees fan-forced or 220 degrees conventional for 10 – 12 minutes until cooked through and crispy around the edges.

Slice into eighths using a circular pizza cutter and watch the slices disappear within minutes!