Dean Martin, I am sorry for using your song as a blog title. Well, not really to be honest because I tragically love that song to death and can often be heard singing it at home. To myself. Shamelessly.
But really, who doesn’t love pizza? When friends are coming over it can be easy to become frantic and wonder what to cook that is easy and sociable at the same time. My solution? Home made pizza. With the abundance of decent pizza bases make your own at home can be a fun experience as you create a topping bar and each guest makes their own pizza ensuring they are happy with the topping and there is a sense of fun to the experience instead of just dialing a number and waiting for a delivery of usually sub average take away pizza.
The great thing about pizza is that the toppings are limited to what you have on hand or really enjoy. Of course, nothing beats tradition such as pepperoni, four cheeses, prosciutto and rocket or margarita but when you are cooking at home I will look the other way when you break the rules, don’t worry.! 😉  I like to keep it simple with my toppings with prosciutto, rocket and Parmesan being my simple go to. My partner is a fan of the everything possible school of pizza toppings but again, this is where compromise is a beautiful thing in that we both get to have pizza our way by making our own.
Home made pizza bases are very simple to make. You can even freeze the excess dough before proving it  to have a quick mid week meal without fuss. Just roll the dough into individual sized balls, wrap well in cling film and freeze for about a fortnight or so before use.
So crack out the mixing bowl and roll up your sleeves to knead as you create you own pizza bases and have a great night in!
Home made pizza base
Ingredients
600g  of flour
1 teasp salt
1 sachet of dried yeast
1 teasp caster sugar
60ml olive oil
375ml lukewarm water
Method
1. Combine salt and flour in mixing bowl
2. Empty yeast sachet into warm water with sugar and mix. Allow to sit for about 5 mins or until mix is foamy and yeast is activated
3. Add olive oil to yeast mix and create well in middle of flour
4. Pour in liquid mix and using a knife cut the flour into the mix until well combined
5. Place rough dough onto floured bench and knead for about ten minutes until the dough is smooth and firm. Alternatively if you have a mixer with a dough hook, place inside and knead on low speed for ten minutes
6. Remove from bowl and place in large clean bowl with oiled sides. Place in warm area and cover with cling film
7. Allow to rise and prove for about 30min – 1 hour until doubled in size
8. Knock back and knead again, separate mix into appropriate size to cover your tray. Usually about 100g of mix will cover a 20cm round tray thinly which is how I like my bases
9. Top with your favourite ingredients and bake at about 180-200 degrees for 10-15 minutes until the base is golden
10. Cut up and enjoy!
