EASY DIY PIZZAS WITH SHOW-STOPPING TOPPINGS



Pizza is one of those foods that is universally liked, the kind of comfort food that will always hit the spot and I am yet to meet someone that doesnt like it. As dish it is also super adaptable and versatile - you can make it dairy, gluten or meat free, you can have a tomato or cream base and you can go as simple or as extravagant as you like when it comes to the toppings. Plus as I found out last weekend it is also super fun and easy to make pizza at home if you fancy a bit dough shaping and coming up with fun things to put on them.

Admittedly a bit of planning is necessary (mainly thawing the excellent pre-made dough I got from The Northern Dough Co.) and the different topping elements do take some time to prep (sauting the mushrooms, mixing up the truffle mascarpone and the like) so not perhaps a cooking project for a weekday but perfect for the weekend when you can take your time at the supermarket, getting all the different bits and bobs and having a blissful few hours in the kitchen!

I was super, super impressed with the end result, the toppings were incredibly, and am 100 percent going to re-create this exact feast soon again, especially when the pre-made dough is so good and easy to handle!


THE DOUGH

Sold in packs of 2, you can find The Northern Dough Cosamazing frozen pizza bases at Sainsburys and Waitrose. Defrost them over night in the fridge and you are pretty much good to go! All you need additionally is a bit of flour, a flat surface and a rolling pin and you can start rolling out the dough balls into lovely thin pizza bases! Make sure you also flour the baking tray you are using to bake them on so you can easily slide them off once the pizza is ready and cooked through.

The packaging says around 10 minutes in the oven at 250 Celsius but some of the pizzas took a little longer so just keep an eye on yours to make sure you get a nicely browned and not soggy bottom! The end result in terms of dough was pretty damn amazing considering the zero effort on my part that was involved in making the dough and I will for sure buy their bases again, particularly considering the price which is a very decent 2.5 for two!


THE TOPPINGS

PIZZA TOPPED WITH TRUFFLED MASCARPONE & MUSHROOMS


INGREDIENTS:
  • 150g mascarpone
  • Truffle oil
  • 200g mushrooms, sliced
  • Parmesan or another hard Italian cheese

METHOD:
  • Saut the mushrooms in a little oil until cooked and transfer to a bowl.
  • In another bowl mix the mascarpone with the truffle oil. This will require a little elbow grease to get to a nice creamy consistency. Add as much truffle oil as you like, depending on how strong your truffle oil is and how intense you want the truffle flavour to be.
  • Get your pizza base (ready on the baking tray) and spread on the truffle mascarpone mixture evenly
  • Top with the cooked mushrooms
  • Grate some parmesan on top to finish it all off for extra cheesy goodness!
  • Bake in the oven for around 12 minutes or until the base is cooked and the cheesy, creamy top is bubbling.


PIZZA TOPPED WITH FRESH FIGS, GOATS CHEESE AND BALSAMIC GLAZE


INGREDIENTS
  • 4 fresh figs
  • Mozzarella
  • Passata (a big jar will be enough for both pizzas)
  • 1 log of hard goats cheese, sliced
  • Balsamic glaze (available at most supermarkets, I got this Sainsburys one)

METHOD

  • Spread the passata evenly across the pizza base.
  • Thinly slice the fresh figs
  • Tear mozzarella and dot around the base (eyeball exact quantity here, you can tell when there is enough on the pizza)
  • Top with goats cheese disks and sliced figs, distributing them evenly.
  • Drizzle with balsamic glaze and bake in the oven for around 12 to 14 minutes
  • I added drizzle of the balsamic glaze as finishing touch once the pizza was out of the oven - just about the perfect marriage of sweet and savoury flavours in my eyes but this is of course optional!


PIZZA FLORENTINE WITH SPINACH, OLIVES AND EGG

INGREDIENTS
  • 1 egg
  • 150g spinach
  • Passata
  • Mozzarella
  • Parmesan
  • 100g sliced black olives

METHOD
  • Spread the passata evenly across the base.
  • Boil your kettle and pour hot water over the spinach in a colander to wilt it.
  • Use some kitchen towels to pat the spinach dry and remove any excess moisture.
  • Evenly spread the spinach and olives on the tomato base
  • Dot with the mozzarella and give the parmesan a good shave to top the base.
  • Bake for around 6 minutes before removing from the oven. Now its time to add your egg in the middle of the pizza! Return to the oven and cook for a further 5 minutes.

And enjoy!