Pizza

Pizza - the fast food that has today become one of the most popular snacks of almost all ages! You will find pizza parlours’ or ‘pizzerias’ in almost each and every market, including the local ones. I’m sure even you like to eat pizza, if not on a daily, then on an occasional basis. Have you wondered how the pizza came into being i.e. what is the history and origin of the delicious snack? Pizza has a very colourful and interesting history attached to it and with the information given below, you can find all about its background. It is believed by almost every person in the world that pizza was invented by the Italians, making it an Italian recipe. However, one can trace the origin of the snack back to the ancient times. As per the earlier records, Babylonians, Israelites, Egyptians and other ancient Middle Eastern people used to eat a flat, un-leaven bread, which was cooked in mud ovens and had an appearance somewhat similar to the pizzas we eat today. There are also evidences to suggest that the ancient Mediterranean people, like Greeks, Romans and Egyptians, used to eat their flat bread, after topping it with seasonings like olive oil and native spices. Pizza is believed to have pervaded the lower class of the Naples (Italy) in a similar fashion. There is also a story, dating back to around late 19^th century, about an Italian baker called Raffaele Esposito, who created a new dish for the visiting royalty. With time, small cafes, serving Italian pizzas, started opening up in American cities. Even the American soldiers, who participated in World War II, were exposed to the tasty dish and contributed to its popularity in their homeland. Today, pizza has become almost synonymous with fast foods, across the globe. Right from kids and college-goers to professionals and oldies, everyone loves to have a bite of a pizza generously topped with mozzarella cheese. To get the best out of the pizza, I recommend using a Pizza Stone, oven peel, pizza rack, pizza cutter and server. Now- a – days we are getting this complete set within a reasonable budget of $10- $20. I got it from the Macys Store. Try this recipe as I tried many a times and finally writing this method. Instead Of buying a pizza base from outside we can get it done the same easily at home with less than 5 min of time. So let us first see how to prepare the dough: 

Pizza Dough:

• All purpose Flour /Maida – 2 -3 cups
• Active Dry Yeast /Rapid Rise Yeast - ½ tsp
• Luke Warm Water – 1 cup
• Sugar – 1tsp
• Olive Oil – 3 tbsp
• Salt – 1tsp
 

Method:

• Take a big bowl and mix 2 cups of all purpose flour /Maida along with yeast, sugar, salt and warm water and mix the dough to form a smooth ball without any lumps in it.
• Stir in additional flour until the dough begins to form a ball and becomes easy to handle.
• Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic. Knead it at least for   5- 8 minutes.
• Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover it with a lid and let it rise in a warm spot. I kept in an oven without turning it on until dough doubles its size (approximately for 1 hour).
• Punch down dough and knead it again. Allow it to rise for 30 min.
• Roll the dough into a circle, forming a ¼ inch rim around the edges and little bit of olive oil onto it and bake it for 5 min at 450 degrees. 
• Turn off the oven and remove the base and now add the tomato sauce and what all toppings you would like to add to it( I used onions , bell peppers, olives , tomatoes and finally cheese). Don’t add the cheese right now just before turning off the complete oven and when everything is done. You add the cheese as it melts very easily.