Covered pizza - or pizza with a lid

When I make a pizza I start with the base. I make sure the dough is full of flavour by adding various ingredients - often what I have hanging around.

Place both pieces of dough on baking parchment - makes them easier to handle. But don't leave the lid on the paper too long - it can easily stick.

Lid safely on. Leave to prove until the dough is puffy. 

Ingredients:

200g strong white flour

1 teaspoon bouillon powder

1 teaspoon dried mixed herbs

1 teaspoon curry powder

100g lukewarm water with 25g tomato puree stirred in

1 rounded teaspoon fresh yeast or level teaspoon of dried yeast

25g of the sun-dried tomato oil

4 large sun-dried tomatoes, chopped into small pieces

Pieces of roasted pepper, chopped small (I used about a tablespoonful - just to finish off the jar)

Topping:

Houmous

Slices of fried vegetarian sausage

1 sliced tomato

Several sliced mushrooms

Fresh basil

Method:

1. Place the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl. Stir the yeast into the tomato/water mixture until it’s dissolved (dried yeast takes a little longer to dissolve than fresh) and add it to the flour. Pour the oil into the liquid once it's in the bowl, then add the peppers and sun-dried tomatoes

2. Have a little water to hand to add if necessary, remember, it is better for your dough to be wetter (slack) rather than drier (tight). Begin to mix by stirring the ingredients together with a knife, starting with the yeast, cutting through the dough. When it gets too stiff for the knife, use your hand to squeeze the mixture together. As it forms into a solid mass, keep turning it over and pressing it down to pick up the flour at the bottom of the bowl – but make sure it stays soft. Don’t be afraid to add more water to keep it soft! When all the flour has been mixed in, wipe the bowl around with the dough, turn it out onto the worktop and begin to knead.

3. Knead by stretching the dough out, folding it over, stretching it out and so on and so forth. Do this until it is smooth – and stop before you get fed up!

4. Prepare your baking sheets, take the dough out of the mixing bowl and place it on your worktop. Divide the dough into  or 2 equal pieces and form each piece gently into a cob shape. Have plenty of flour to hand and liberally scatter flour over the dough and worktop. With a rolling pin, roll out each piece of dough to the size of your baking sheets and place them both on baking parchment.

5. Spread the base with houmous and cover with slices of sausage, tomato and mushroom then scatter shredded basil over and sprinkle with herbs and black pepper.

6. Place the other piece of dough carefully over the pizza and peel off the baking parchment.

7. Leave to prove until the dough has become puffy at the edges.

8. Place in a hot oven, 220C, 425F or gas mark 7 for 15-20 minutes, turning round halfway through if necessary. When they're done the pizzas will lift up all along one side when you check underneath, using a palette knife. The bottom should be browning from the edges.

When I say browning, I don't mean this:

Oops! Still haven't cracked it with my chiminea! Still tasted excellent - it was bursting with flavour.

For how it came to look like this, have a look at my chiminea post.