Flatbread Pizza

 Hello, Sous Baker here!

This week we are sharing one of my own creations - flatbread pizza! It's really easy to make and many elements can be prepared ahead which I found really useful at university. I'm all about a meal that can be prepped in advance.

I don't buy frozen pizza at university as I'm dairy intolerant, which I find sometimes I go without eating especially at parties etc, so this recipe is a great way to make a  quick meal that is student life friendly. It's also a good recipe that can be tailored to almost any dietary requirements/tastebuds as it's so customisable. You can go crazy with the toppings and put as many or as little as you like on your pizza. I tend to go overboard as I can't choose my favourite!

The tomato sauce recipe usually makes too much for just the 3 pizzas alone so I usually jar it and use it on pasta the day after for an even quicker tea than this! The flatbread recipe is courtesy of BBC Food but the rest are my own!

Makes 3 individual adult pizzas (as shown in picture at the bottom).

Ingredients

For the Dough:

• 200g plain or wholemeal flour
• ¼ tsp salt
• 100ml warm water
• 2 tbsp oil (olive, sunflower or vegetable), plus extra for cooking

For the Tomato Sauce:

1 Carton Tomato Passata

Handful of Basil leaves, chopped

1 Oxo Cube

1 tsb Garlic Granules

1 tbsp Oregano 

Toppings:

1 Onion, sliced

200g Bacon Lardons

150g Mushrooms, sliced

1 Tin Sweetcorn, drained

1 Pepper, sliced into thin strips. 

100g Cooked Prawns

Cheese, grated - as much or as little as you like!

Method:

1. Place the flour and salt in a large bowl and trickle on the water bit by bit.

2. Mix the water and flour mixture together.

3. Add the oil and knead the dough – you are aiming for a soft dough. If it is too sticky, add a little more flour or if it is too dry, add a splash of water. 

4.Knead the dough for 5 minutes.

5. You can cook the breads straight away or leave the dough to stand (for 30 minutes) whilst you cook the toppings. 

6. Preheat the oven to 180C.

7. Place all the tomato sauce ingredients in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Set aside. 

8. Fry the onions and bacon in separate frying pans until the bacon is crispy and the onions are soft, set aside. 

9. Fry the mushrooms until golden, set aside. 

10. Divide the dough into three balls. On a clean surface, roll each ball of dough one at a time using a rolling pin. If you pick up and move round the flatbread often you know it hasn’t stuck. (You may need to sprinkle a little flour on the surface but only use a little as too much will dry out the dough.) Don’t worry if they aren’t perfect circles.

11. Grease 3 baking sheets. 

12. Place one circle of dough on each baking sheet. 

13. Spread a ladle full of the tomato sauce onto the base of each pizza. 

14. Add the toppings that you want over the top, saving the cheese for last (if you're using it).

15. Place each pizza in the oven and cook for around 15 mins or until the dough is cooked and crispy around the edges. Don't be afraid to cook for longer if your dough doesn't look quite ready. 

The great thing about pizza is it's versatility. Aside from the ones that I show in the recipe, there are many other toppings you can choose from too - chorizo, anchovies, pineapple, prosciutto, cooked chicken....the list goes on! 

Here are the three pizzas that we made recently - as you can see we all chose different toppings!

We usually serve this with a side salad, some coleslaw and sometimes either fries or a jacket potato. Alternatively, serve cold as a packed lunch!

Tag us @rousties on instagram with your favourite pizza toppings! We're looking forward to being inspired to try some new ones ourselves!

Until next time, 

Sous Baker x