Pages

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

A PESTO PIZZA WITH JAMIE OLIVER'S PIZZA DOUGH


I don't quite like red pizza sauce on pizzas. Just like the guy who does not like green eggs and ham. But, Sam-I-am, I do like green pesto sauce on pizzas. I like it so much that I'll....

.... have it on a boat, 
I'll have it in a coat, 
I'll have it day and night 
'specially if I'm a goat. 

I'll have it while I think
Or even while I blink
I'll have a thousand times a day
Especially when I'm Queen

I'll have it on my blog
I'll have it while I slog
I'll have it all the time
Especially when I'm bored

So that is what I've made today
A crispy crusty pizza dough
With green sauce of pumpkin seeds
and some happy C-lantro

Green sauce on pizza dough.
A disc that fell from heaven's place
And landed, thankfully, in my face.

  
Jamie's pizza crust is seriously good. Crispy and crusty and easy.

Jamie Oliver's pizza dough recipe ~ I made half and I got 8 pieces of 7 inch pizza bases (I freeze the extras).

7 cups bread flour or
5 cups + 2 cups semolina
1 level T sea salt
2 (11 gm) packet instant yeast
2 T raw sugar ( I used white)
4 T extra virgin olive oil
2 1/2 cups lukewarm water

Mix flour and salt in a bowl. Push aside. Put in the yeast, sugar and olive oil into the lukewarm water and mix well. Let stand a few minutes. (I left it for five because I couldn't wait any longer than that).

Pour the flour/salt mix onto a board or table and make a well in the centre. Pour in the liquid ingredients and slowly using a fork, let the flour at the sides of the well fall into the liquid until all the flour have been incorporated. 

Use your hands now and bring the dough together and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic. I kneaded for about 10 minutes by hand. Add flour a little at a time if the dough is too sticky but be wary. Do not add too much. Just flouring the board occasionally and flouring your hands well and kneading lightly should be sufficient. Once done let sit in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a damp tea towel (clean) and let rise for an hour.

Once doubled in bulk and it does not spring back when you make a belly button, take it out from the bowl onto a table top and punch it down to rid of air. Divide the dough into portions depending on how large or small you want your pizza to be. Roll each piece into a smooth ball and then flatten with your hand into a thick disc. Then roll it out on a floured board until you get a thin circle of dough as thin or thick as you like. I like thin.



Build the pizza ~

Pumpkin seed and cilantro pesto (adapted from Pam's of Sidewalk Shoes) 
Halved cherry tomatoes
Crisp fried local anchovies
Basil leaves
Mozarella cheese

Preheat the oven to the highest setting. Slip in a baking tray (upside down preferably) if I you don't have a pizza stone. Let it get really hot, maybe 10 - 15 minutes while you prepare the topping.


I lay the pizza dough disc on a piece of parchment paper a little larger than the pizza dough itself so that I could easily lift the topped pizza onto the baking tray by lifting the sides of the parchment. Spread the pesto over the dough. I topped the pizza with halved cherry tomatoes, crispy fried local anchovies, basil leaves, and then mozarella cheese. SERIOUS YUM.

Lift the pizza by holding on the sides or corners of the parchment paper and slip it on to the baking tray. Bake for about 10-15 minutes or until the edges of the pizza crust are golden brown and crunchy. YUM YUM. 


I am submitting this to Yeast Spotting !

38 comments:

  1. Wicked poem and equally wicked pizza! :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. I like the pizza dough from JO' recipe too. I prefer white pizza..with lots of veggies, and cheese.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Zu, I know I have to ear mark your Pesto recipe and what a great way to use it with the pizza! I just came over from 3 Hungry Tummies Roti Canai - wondering if it will work to smear the pesto on the Roti dough,fold it and flatten before frying...

    ReplyDelete
  4. ah pesto. reminds me of a masterchef episode.
    haha this looks amazing.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Great poem and I really like how you say you'll know the dough is done when you make a belly button and it doesn't spring back! But this makes a lot Zurin, a freaking 7 cups of bread flour!!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Haha! Your writings are as good as your bakes and cooks! Love them.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Zurin..that is a great pizza. Me too, prefers pizza without the normal red sauce. Yours definitely looks and taste good. Will try this out and have KIV it. Thanks for sharing :) Oh btw, love the rhymms you compose...darn cute :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. I never knew that bilis
    Can be used for this
    If you'd send some to me please
    I'll be so much be in bliss

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hmmm yummy. Makes me want to bake one straight away!! I notice, for the ingrediants, you have missed out on the yeast. How much did you use?

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hi Zu,
    This looks really great! Makes me feel like having some pizzas now. Yum!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I love pizza and this is fantatsic!!! congratulations...;)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Green pizza! yum yum.. I would like to try that Aunty. I dont really favor pizza, but your picture is salivating to see.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Oh yummmm this pizza looks wonderful Zurin...I must try this pesto it sounds right up my alley!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Sei bravissima , vengo sempre con piacere a trovarti, :) buona giornata

    ReplyDelete
  15. Yammy!! I love pizza but never tried it before with pesto, it looks delicious!!

    ReplyDelete
  16. I've never tried Jamie's pizza dough, but love everything he does. I do like red sauce...green sauce and any color sauce....but not on green eggs and ham! This is unique. A big thank you for a new taste combo :-)

    Your pics are so, so appetizing and how fun is your poem?!

    Thanks Zurin!!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Wow, the pizza looks delicious.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Haha...what a funny, nice poem together with a most mouth-watering pizza! Zurin, you are just amazing! :D

    ReplyDelete
  19. très appétissante est parait délicieuse,j'adore
    bonne journée

    ReplyDelete
  20. As a pizza snob, I have to tell you that your crispy crust is perfection!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Wow, the dough looks heavenly. I have tried so many pizza doughs before but still haven't found the "perfect" one yet. I will definitely try your recipe. :)

    ReplyDelete
  22. Zurin, I love pesto on pizza too! Well, I don't have preferences so long as my pizza is flavorful! On my side, it was Mark Bittman who let me discover the beauty of pesto! It's so versatile, I love havin' it on my pasta, with my baked salmon, in my sandwich ... Yours looks smacking-good!

    ReplyDelete
  23. You might like to edit the recipe to make the following change...
    2 raw sugar ... 2 what?

    ReplyDelete
  24. Pesto and pizza are like two peas in a pod.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Hi Everyone,
    tq so much for your kind and thoughtful comments. I love hearing from you. Please know that i read each one of them and treasure every word. But please forgive me too that I cannot answer to each one individually. I wish there was more time in a day.

    Anon,

    Its for people like you that I moderate comments, I appreciate the fact that you pointed out my typing error but I detest the way you did it. Some simple manners please. And perhaps a name and a link back?

    ReplyDelete
  26. I never eat pizza with pesto sauce in my life but it looks so delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  27. You totally crack me up, Zurin. I love pizzas of almost all varieties but I LOVE white pizzas and especially pesto pizza. This looks great :).

    ReplyDelete
  28. Firstly... yum! Yum indeed! And secondly... I just love the poem - it's so nice to know there are other slightly silly-minded people out there (and I do mean that in the most complimentary way). I have a lurking rendition of a James Bond theme song that I've been meaning to blog - this might have just given me the push I need (although now I should find a recipe to accompany it...).

    ReplyDelete
  29. Hehe Zurin you are so cute! I love that poem and that pizza looks amazingly good! :)

    ReplyDelete
  30. I'll have to give your pesto a try soon for something different. Love the crunchy crust!

    ReplyDelete
  31. That is the best looking pizza I have ever seen. Oh. my. gosh.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Oh. My. Gosh! That looks simply divine! I love pesto and it makes perfect sense to have it on a pizza dough. Hmm... wonder why I never thought of trying that out before...
    Thanks for sharing. :)

    ReplyDelete
  33. Hi Zurin, You're an amazing woman!! Love your blog. You're Awesome!! You poet & Cook & creative... What else that you cannot do....You're a self made MasterChef....

    ReplyDelete

I'd love to hear your thoughtful comments. Thank you for taking the time. :) Have a nice day!