Here is how you can make a pizza. The measurements for the various ingredients are for preparing a large thin crust, approximately 12'.
We need approximately 45 minutes of real working time. We also need a roller pin, pizza sheet, oven gloves and an oven (that was obvious though wasn't it ?)
First lets prepare the dough. We need the following:
1. Take 2 cups of white flour (all purpose flour) and leave it in the referigerator for half an hour.
2. 1 cup of warm water.
3. Dry active yeast (7 gms.).
4. Salt.
5. Sugar.
6. 1 tbsp. Olive oil.
Add the yeast and sugar to half of the warm water and mix them well. Leave it for 5-7 minutes to activate the yeast. Add this mixture to the flour which is cold by now and knead it into smooth dough. You may need to add some water occasionally if the yeast water is not enough. Now take 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large bowl. Add the kneaded dough and knead for a couple of minutes till the oil gets mixed in the dough. Cover it with a lightly wet kitchen towel and leave it alone for 5 minutes.
Take out the dough and keep it on a flat top - kitchen countertop is fine for this. You may sprinkle some white flour on the surface to keep the dough from sticking. Flatten out the dough into a nice circular shape. You may use a roller pin for this. The diameter should be approximately 12'. The edges of the circular shape should be thicker than the interior. Fold the edges of the shape slightly inside towards the center like a small barricade around the disk. This is more of a cosmetic aid and is not essential to the taste of the pizza.
Meanwhile set your oven to 500F for preheating ...
Now we come to the stuff that gives the pizza its unique flavor. For this we need
1. Pizza sauce enough to cover the pizza base.
2. Shredded Mozzarella cheese.
3. Toppings as desired - I used onions, tomatoes and green peppers but you can use your imagination .. olives, chicken, pineapple ... with pizza anything tastes good :)
4. Semolina.
First spread the sauce on the base. Then put the toppings evenly on the base. Now spread the cheese enough to cover the toppings. Now that your base is ready it already looks good enough to eat but wait! We need to bake it. Use some oil to grease your pizza sheet and sprinkle some semolina on it. This is to keep the pizza from getting charred and it also gives the base of the pizza some crispiness. Put the pizza on the sheet and put that into the oven. Wear oven gloves while doing this because the oven is hot by now. Also bring down the oven temperature now to 475F. Check after 5 minutes to make sure your pizza is not burnt. Leave for a maximum of 10-11 minutes .. the more the crispier. By this time the cheese looks melted and well spread with a glaze. The sides should look brownish and crisp ... And thats it! Switch off the oven and take out the pizza. Keep it on a cooling rack and give it 2-3 minutes. Now slice it up using a pizza cutter and let the party begin !
