Homemade pizza (with dough) with bacon and mushrooms
In the end, I went for it. Yes, because making a pizza with its own dough is no small feat. You have to be very determined and trust yourself a lot to not fail in the attempt. This might sound funny to an Italian, for example, but not so much for someone who has spent their whole life eating pizza at pizzerias or frozen at home (well, sometimes the pizza guy also came home 😎 ). At most, I used ready-made pizza bases and already felt like a hero just for being able to add tomato, cheese, and a few toppings. But even then, I couldn’t say I had made a pizza.
Today I can, and I don’t know if you can tell from the photos, but it’s completely addictive and I’d happily spend a whole week eating this pizza. The dough turned out just right, crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. The rest of the ingredients are quite simple, but still, it’s exciting to make a pizza from scratch and have it turn out so delicious…
Ingredients for 1 medium pizza (2 people)
For the dough
150 g strong flour (or regular flour if unavailable)
100 g water
1/2 packet dry baker’s yeast (=10 g fresh baker’s yeast)
7 g oil
1/4 teaspoon salt For the topping
100 g pre-cut bacon
3 large mushrooms
5 tablespoons crushed natural tomato
3 handfuls grated mozzarella
oregano and salt
Preparation
Mix the flour, yeast, and salt in a bowl and make a hole in the center like a crater, where you will gradually pour a mixture of lukewarm water and olive oil.
Mix everything well with your hands or with the help of a fork until the dough no longer sticks to the bowl.
Sprinkle flour on the countertop (or a large cutting board), shape the dough into a ball, and move it to the surface to knead it. Now comes the most labor-intensive and important part, because you’ll need to stretch and press the dough for at least 5 minutes so it rises and becomes tender. The process is simple: use your right hand to stretch the dough, then fold it over itself and use both hands to press it down. Repeat this for at least 5 minutes, sprinkling flour on the surface and your hands as needed to prevent sticking.
And now the master touch: to make it elastic, you need to refine it. It sounds more complicated than it is—just shape it into a cylinder and twist it by holding the ends. Once twisted, knead it again and repeat this process for another 5 minutes.
Shape the dough into a ball and place it in a container previously brushed with oil. Cover it with a cloth or plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature in a place without drafts. In about 40 minutes, it will have doubled in size and will be ready to shape into a pizza.
Sprinkle flour on the countertop and press the dough to release excess air from the rising process.
Now, roll out the dough with a rolling pin until it is quite thin (this depends on taste, but I made it about half a centimeter thick, resulting in a crispy outside and fluffy inside). The thinner it is, the crispier it will be. Add the toppings in this order: tomato, mushrooms, bacon, mozzarella, and oregano.
Preheat the oven to 200ºC for about 5 minutes and bake for about 20–25 minutes.
Things to keep in mind
You can add 1 teaspoon of herbs de Provence or oregano to the dough to give it extra flavor. In that case, add the herbs before incorporating the water.