Thursday, September 13, 2007

Paneer Pizza





This was my first attempt to make a pizza right from scratch and it was a great success.
I have used my own imaginations from the sauces to the topping and it came out really well.

Making the pizza dough

Ingredients

Makes enough dough for two 10-12 inch pizzas

1 1/2 cups warm water (105°F-115°F)
1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) of active dry yeast
3 1/2 cups bread flour (can use all-purpose but bread flour will give you a crisper crust)
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar



Preparation

In half the cup of warm water dissolve the pack of yeast. Add a tsp sugar to feed it. let it sit for a few minutes until it foams up. Add flour, salt, water and yeast mixture to your electric mixer or a mixing bowl to make a smooth and elastic dough.
The dough should pull away from the sides of the bowl. I used my hands to knead the dough.
Place ball of dough in a bowl that has been coated lightly with olive oil. Turn the dough around in the bowl so that it gets coated with the oil. Cover with plastic wrap. Let sit in a warm place (75-85°F) until it doubles in size, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. If you don't have a warm spot in the house you can heat the oven to 150 degrees, and then turn off the oven. Place the bowl of dough in this warmed oven to rise.





This dough can be kept in the fridge for a week if you want to make it ahead. I had some dough left which I saved for the week ahead.



Pizza Topping

Ingredients

1/2 cup medium chopped oinons
1/2 cup Paneer (Indian cottage cheese)
1/2 cup medium chopped pineapple chunks (I used dole chunks)
1/2 cup meduim chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup meduium chopped capsicum
3-4 tbsp tomato puree or sauce
1 tbsp tomato ketchup
1/2 tsp ginger/garlic paste
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tbsp Bombay sandwich spread (found at the Indian store)
1 tbsp Samosa Chutney (found at the Indian store)
1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese



Preparation

Preheat the oven to 450°F for at least 30 minutes, preferably an hour.
Once the pizza dough has raised, as seen in the picture, Remove the plastic cover from the dough and punch the dough down so it deflates a bit. Divide the dough in half. Form two round balls of dough. Place each in its own bowl, cover with plastic and let sit for 10 minutes.

Take a ball of dough and flatten it with your hands on a slightly floured work surface. Starting at the center and working outwards, use your fingertips to press the dough to 1/2-inch thick. Turn and stretch the dough until it will not stretch further. Let the dough relax 5 minutes and then continue to stretch it until it reaches the desired diameter - 10 to 12 inches. Use your palm to flatten the edge of the dough where it is thicker.
Brush the top of the dough with olive oil (to prevent it from getting soggy from the toppings). Use your finger tips to press down and make dents along the surface of the dough to prevent bubbling. Let rest another 5 minutes.


I used a normal baking tray, transfered the pizza base to the tray with very little flour on the bottom of the tray, so that the dough does not stick.
Now add the topping. Mix up the tomato puree/sauce (store brought), ketchup, ginger/garlic paste, Italian seasoning, sandwich spread, chutney in a bowl. I wanted a little Indian flavor on my pizza, so I added some different varieties of chutneys to my pizza.
You can create your own tomato base or buy a ready made one. Spread the sauce on the pizza base evenly. Now top it with onions, cottage cheese (paneer), pineapple chunks, tomatoes, capsicum and finally sprinkle it with mozzarella cheese.
Bake pizza until the crust is browned and the cheese is golden, for about 10-15 minutes.
Enjoy!!!


56 comments:

Swaruchy said...

Looks yummmmm Sharmi.....
Nice one dear :-)
I too never tried pizza from scratch at home....Now that I have ur recipe...will sure give it a try :-)

FH said...

WOW!! Paneer Pizza rocks, really a great blend of flavors girl:))

TBC said...

That looks really good, Sharmi.And you said it was your first attempt?
I love pineapple pieces in my topping.

bee said...

great medley of ingredeints - this is just the kind of meal we love.

Anonymous said...

Looking yummy.........nice step by step presentation. u know what i love pineapple pizza. i want more and more pineapple pieces in my pizza.loved ur version. will try.urs is an indian way.

Anh said...

Sharmi, this is so creative! Well-done!

Latha said...

Hey Sharmi, looks yumm! have u tried the tandori paneer pizza at pizza hut in india?

musical said...

Home made pizzas with spicy ingredients are the best, aren't they (slurp!) :-D. I totally enjoy the green chutney in Pizza! Comfort food of a different kind :).

Dori said...

This pizza looks great! I love homemade pizza's but this one is really unique, and it looks so tasty!

Laavanya said...

I love paneer and pizza combination. I made a paneer tikka pizza a while ago and we all loved it. I like your version and the crust looks great. All the topping ingredients are perfect - wish I could take a bite of it.

Manjula said...

Thats a lovely looking Pizza. I did try a couple of times, but my base never came out good. Thanks for the step by step tutorial..will try this for sure. Love the pineapple bits with hot jalapeños.

Linda said...

Oh Sharmi!!!! I am not much of a pizza fan, but you have me wanting to make some now. Paneer pizza, it looks so yummy!! And all from scratch -- now that is impressive!! :)

Apple said...

Paneer Pizza looks delicious...I tried at home once..mine was not so perfect :(

Cynthia said...

Sharmi my dear, you are excellent at what you do.

Roopa said...

mouth watering pizza,love the blend of flavours with paneer and veges :)

Anu said...

Looks so delicious...Never tried making the base at home..u make it sound easy :)

Menu Today said...

Hi Sharmi,
Creative way of making Pizza in Indian Style. Looking very nice. Thanks for sharing.

sra said...

My only attempt at pizza making from scratch was a crashing failure. Glad you succeeded, looks lovely!

Seena said...

Paneer pizza looks good, nice recipe..

amna said...

u make it sound so simple, but i am sure it as quite an effort.. pics look yummy!

sunita said...

Lovely...is that slice for me :)

SMN said...

Hi sharmi,

Nice Pizza, especially the presentation is so tempting. can i have a bite..

Anonymous said...

your topping is out of the world!!! yummy!!

Richa said...

ooh! panner looks yum :) we can never resist paneer & chutneys ;) always a hit combo!

Padma said...

Wow, making pizza from scratch is simply mind blowing! I loved the topping variety, never had pineapple for my topping, may be I should give it a try! Loved it! I think I can walk-in for that piece :)

Pooja V said...

Very colourful n flavourful pizza...:)

Finla said...

Yeah Excelent looking pizza.
And it is nice to see the step by step pictures for a dummy like me :-)))

Anonymous said...

MMMMMmmmmmmmmm.....need I say more :)

swapna susarla said...

i do make pizza at home But never tried with paneer..have to try this time.

Hima said...

hey sharmi, I love making pizzas at home, as I love to eat them. I made one just yesterday for my lunch. Your version is looking so tempting. Got to give it a try.

Manasi said...

Yummm! love the topping!!

Mishmash ! said...

Isn't it an amazing feeling when you make the pizza at home and to see your family's surprise ? :)

Chef Jeena said...

Wow Sharmi! Paneer pizza looks wonderful great pics. :) Lovely recipe I love all the ingredients I bet it tasted delicious. :)

Deepa Hari said...

Very Creative recipe Sharmi...Paneer pizza looks Yum.

Neelam said...

Wow Sharmi...paneer pizza..looks yum! I have never made the pizza base at home..always use store-bought. Should try sometime, thanks for sharing!

Bharathy said...

Love the pizza..And I really admire you for making it from the scratch!!Looks sooo pretty and yummy :)..

Lissie said...

paneer and pineappleas toppings... its so yumm! great job sharmi!
i am a new mallu blogger. please do visit my blog.

Anonymous said...

pizza from scratch..yumm nice...love the pineapples

Sharmi said...

Latha, ya I had it long back so don't even remember the flavor. Does mine remind that?!! WAW

Sharmi said...

Musical! it was a real comfort food and made me very happy.

Apple, try this way, it works!

Sharmi said...

Padma, tell me when you want to drop in!!

Sharmi said...

Shn, sure it is! feels like I achieved something big.

Lissie, thanks for the visit. will surely visit yours.

USHA said...

Hi sharmi,
Panner pizza looks great and colourful too...Hey i was totally immensed in lot of lord krishna's snaps...seedai looks perfect....very round....

Sig said...

that is an awesome looking pizza Sharmi... Your imagination really did a great job coming up with this beauty!

WokandSpoon said...

Paneer pizza! That's a nice twist to the common pizza! And making it from scratch! wow! I tend to just buy my pizza bases and assemble the toppings - that's as close as I get to making my own!
Great job!

Kribha said...

Indian style pizza? Absolutely love it. That is a very creative idea. Looks colorful and delicious.

Shella said...

Sharmi

I generally make pizza base at home, coz once you get the hang of it, it comes really quick, so everytime I want Pizza I dont have to run to the store to buy a base!!

Your Pizza looks yumm

Susan said...

Wow, Sharmi! Looks GREAT! Thanks for the tip to brush top of dough with oil to prevent the crust fr/ getting soggy. I've had problems w/ that.

Latha Narasimhan said...

Lovely pizza sharmi! I too like more vegetables unlike the ones we get in dominos etc. Liked your base recipe . I am bookmarking to try soon!

SPICE OF LIFE said...

Pizza is an alltime favorite ..we made one from scratch when we were school going teenagers and pizza bases were not that easily available in India..will try this when I feel upto the task :-) .... but I love the presentation Sharmi ....wish I was there to have a slice !

Kajal said...

When you post this delicious paneer pizza I forget to comment my dear.....this is delicious dish and I miss it.:)

Lisa Turner said...

Amazing! Though I love paneer, I've never considered the idea before. Thank you! I will be trying this.

Bindiya said...

hey sharmi, what aa innovative twist! adding chutney's ,i too will be posting an instant pizza recipe soon, but in the meantime everyone's enjoying yours!

SeeC said...

What a great topping. Best pizza i have ever seen (not joking)

M.H. said...

sounds delicious! i should try paneer pizza too. thanks for ur idea, its great!

ananda said...

You have a very nice blog. Thanks for all the post. The pizza recipe looks good and will try one day. I am an avid fan of making pizzas.

Just Fyi and assuming you do not eat meat (especially red meat), the mozzarella cheese and for that matter any cheese uses Rennet as an enzyme to make cheese. This Rennet can come from dead cows or from vegetarian source.

Perhaps you already know all this. But it is best you buy cheese which specifically says on its label "no animal rennet" or "microbial rennet" or "vegetable rennet". If it simply says "enzymes", I would refrain from buying that brand of cheese. Again all this only if you are vegetarian. Best is simply look out for organic cheese with the label specifically stating its rennet source. I buy Organic Valley cheese brand.

Thank you.

Hare Krishna.