Who doesn't like pizza? Why buy it though, when you can make delicious pizza at home using cheap to make homemade pizza dough
Homemade Pizza Dough
There is a reason there are so many pizza restaurants around, and that reason is that pizza is super profitable, mainly because pizza dough is so cheap! I used to work in a pizza restaurant and making your own dough to make your own pizza will save you a fortune over getting a takeaway pizza and is still far cheaper than buying a frozen supermarket pizza, as you need very few ingredients.
I usually make a batch of pizza dough using the recipe and method below and freeze the dough I won't use immediately.
I freeze the dough in pizza-size balls, and it defrosts in under an hour so that you can make homemade pizza pretty quickly again at a later date.
Alternatively, you could make the pizzas and freeze them and then reheat them straight from the freezer in the oven; they cook super fast, so you can have homemade pizzas in minutes, which will save you the cost of a takeaway pizza when you are short of energy to cook or have time constraints.
The recipe below will make about six thin pizzas, less if you like your pizza thicker. I prefer a thin and crispy pizza, which is good as I can make more pizzas from my dough batch, making it even more economical.
Ingredients:
1 packet of Doves Nutritional Yeast Flakes (Dried yeast)
3/4 pint of warm water
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1.8lb of bread flour, although plain flour will be fine as well
2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Instructions:
Mix the dough:
In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a food mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment, combine the dried yeast, flour and salt. Make a well in the centre and pour half the water along with the oil.
Mix the ingredients together until a dough forms. Add more water until the dough comes together. You may not need to use all of it. If using a food mixer, knead the dough on medium speed for about 5 minutes. If kneading by hand, transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead for about 8-10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
First rise:
Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl and cover it with a clean kitchen towel or cling film. Let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free place for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until it doubles in size.
Preheat the oven:
Preheat your oven to the highest temperature it can go, typically around 475°F to 500°F (245°C to 260°C). If you have a pizza stone, place it in the oven to preheat as well.
Shape the dough:
After the dough has risen, punch it down to release any air bubbles. Divide the dough into two equal portions for two medium-sized pizzas, or leave it as is for one large pizza. I divide this into five balls for my thinner pizza preference and roll the pizza base to about 12 inches in diameter.
Stretch or roll out the dough to your desired thickness on a lightly floured surface. You can also use your hands to gently stretch and shape the dough.
Assemble the pizza:
Transfer the shaped dough to a lightly greased pizza pan or a piece of parchment paper if using a pizza stone. Add your favourite pizza sauce, cheese, and toppings. You can use up bits and bobs you have the in the fridge as pizza toppings, the only thing that limits your pizza topping choice is your imagination ;)
Bake the pizza:
Carefully transfer the assembled pizza to the preheated oven. Bake for about 10-15 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Serve and enjoy:
Remove the pizza from the oven and let it cool slightly before slicing. Serve hot, and enjoy your homemade pizza!
Tips:
For a crispier crust, you can pre-bake the dough for a few minutes before adding the sauce and toppings.
Reheating pizza - I've got a Ninja air fryer and I use this to reheat leftover pizza (rare but it does happen!). I usually pop a piece of parchment paper into the bottom of the airfryer, to catch any gooey cheese mess), and then pop the pizza into the air fryer and cook for about 3 minutes. Check and then heat in 1 minute cycles until the pizza is hot enough for you.
Other items I like to reheat in an airfryer:
Air fryer chips - reheat chips in the air fryer for 3 minutes and then heat in 1 minute increments for a hot and still crispy chip! You can reheat chips you've made at home or chips you might have bought from a restaurants such as your local fish and chips restaurant. We always have lots of chips left over from our local chippie and they're just as good the next day reheated!
My top tips for the best airfryer chips, made from frozen chips or homemade chips, so they dont come out dry and tastless, or soggy are:
Preheat and Oil: Preheat the air fryer to 140ºC (280ºF). Lightly coat the chips with a oil to promote crispiness.
Initial Cooking: Cook the chips at 160ºC (320ºF) for 10-15 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through to ensure even cooking.
Cool and Crisp: Let the chips cool for about 10 minutes, then increase the temperature to 190ºC (375ºF) and cook for an additional 5-10 minutes until golden and crispy.
Avoid Overcrowding: Ensure chips are spaced out in the basket to prevent steaming and achieve the best crispy texture.
If making your own chips or wedges, soak your chips for about 30 minutes in cold water, drain and then make sure they're dry before starting to cook (or they'll steam, and go soggy!) The cold water helps keep the chips moist and fluffy.
Other dishes we use our air fryer for .. a lot!
Air fryer roast potatoes / air fryer parsnips - sometimes roasties taste better the next day! Just pop the potatoes or parsnips into the air fryer and rehear for about 4 minutes or so, check and then heat in 1 minute increments. A spray of oil never hurts to make sure they stay moist.
Air fryer cauliflower cheese - You can cook your cauliflower cheese in the air fryer in about 8 minutes, so long as the cauliflower has been cooked already. It'll come out steaming hot and with a nice cheesy crust! Also reheat your cauliflower cheese in the air fryer as well, it heats up faster than doing it in a conventional oven, and doesn't come out soggy like it can do re-heating it in the microwave.
Airfryer tenderstem broccoli - You can cook tenderstem broccoli in the airfryer in about 8 minutes, (still slightly crunchy) or around 10 minutes for a softer finish. This helps maintain the flavour and the vitamins, as this can be degraded by boiling in water. You can reheat the broccoli as well in about 2 to 3 minutes, so nice and fast and prevents sogginess!
Frozen Yorkshire pudding in an air fryer. If you buy the frozen Yorkshire puddings, they'll generally be nice and crispy in about 4 minutes when cooking in a pre-heated air fryer. I tend to make my own Yorkshire puds and freeze any excess ones, and reheat them in my air fryer, from frozen, in around 5 minutes maximum, which is nice and fast, and they come out hot and crispy!
Cooking pasta in air fryer - I mix cooked pasta and sauce, (often left over pasta and sauce from a previous days meal), and put into an ovenproof bowl that fits in my air fryer. I pop some cheese on the top and air fry this for about 15 minutes and you end up with a glorious, and cheap, pasta bake, thats quick to make and delicious, and very useful for a pretty fast dinner for a 'I'm starving' child!