The restaurateur, chef and TV host of My Kitchen Rules, Pete Evans, learned about making pizza as a child. His mother would make them from scratch for Evans and his friends. Evans went on to train with a professional pizza maker before opening restaurants including Hugos Bar Pizza in Kings Cross. His new book has more than 90 recipes including pizza recipes for breakfast and dessert, vegetarians and meat lovers.
He recommends buying a pizza stone, an unglazed or ceramic stone used to cook pizzas on. Always put it into a cold oven, he says, then turn on the heat. For those without a pizza stone, preheat a large oven tray for 30 minutes before use.
Popeye's order ... pizza with spinach, fetta, semi-dried tomatoes and olives.
Recipes and images from Pizza by Pete Evans, to be published on Monday by Murdoch Books, $39.99.
Classic pizza dough
250ml lukewarm water
2 tsp dry yeast
1 1/4 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra, for greasing
475 g strong flour, plus extra for dusting*
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
Smoked salmon pizza with caviar and mascarpone.
* Strong flour is very finely ground flour with a high gluten content. It is available from good delicatessens, gourmet food stores and some supermarkets. It is sometimes called 00 flour.
In a small bowl, mix the lukewarm water, yeast and sugar together until combined, then leave in a warm place for five minutes or until frothy. Stir in the olive oil. Sift the strong flour and salt together into a large bowl. Pour the yeast mixture over the dry ingredients and use your hands to bring the mixture together to form a dough.
Turn the dough out onto a work surface and use the heel of your hands to work the dough for five minutes until it is smooth and elastic. Lightly grease the inside of a clean dry bowl with oil and place the dough inside. Place a tea towel over the dough and leave in a warm place to prove for 45-60 minutes or until doubled in size.
Dust a clean work surface lightly with the extra flour and tip out the dough. Use your fists to knock the dough back with one good punch to let any air out. Before you portion the dough into separate balls, refer to the pizza recipe for measures. Once you've separated your dough into portions, and working with one portion at a time, use the palm of your hands to cup the dough and roll it on the work surface in a circular motion to form a perfect ball. Repeat with the remaining dough portions. Place the dough balls on a lightly greased baking tray, cover and leave in a warm place to prove for 15 minutes.
Makes 750g, roughly enough for four 30-centimetre pizzas
Pizza sauce
400g tin whole peeled tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tsp dried oregano
2 pinches of freshly ground black pepper
Pizza by Pete Evans.
Place all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Note: this sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for up to three months.
Spinach with fetta, semi-dried tomatoes and olives
If Popeye had made a pizza, I think this is the one he would have created. This was on the menu at a good mate's pizza store, just up the road from where I used to live, called Doughboy. The owner, Tony, was generous enough to let me work in his store before I opened my own restaurant, so I could see exactly how a good pizza store was run. This was my favourite pizza at Doughboy, so it would be a crime to leave it out of this pizza book. Thanks Tony!
Olive oil
150g baby spinach, washed and stems removed
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Semolina or plain flour, for dusting
170g pizza dough ball
80ml pizza sauce
9 pitted Kalamata olives, halved
50g shredded mozzarella cheese
30g fetta cheese, crumbled
1 tsp dried chilli flakes
10 semi-dried tomatoes, cut into strips
Squeeze of lemon, to serve
Heat a frying pan with a touch of olive oil over medium heat and, when hot, add spinach. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and cook until wilted. Place the wilted spinach on a clean tea towel to remove any excess water.
Place a pizza stone in the oven and preheat the oven to 250C or its highest temperature. Once it has reached the temperature, it will take about 15 minutes for the pizza stone to heat up. Lightly dust a clean work surface with semolina or flour, then roll out the dough ball into a 30-centimetre round that is about three millimetres thick. Transfer the pizza base onto a piece of baking paper; this is necessary for transferring the assembled pizza to the heated pizza stone. Prick the pizza base all over with a fork.
Spread the pizza sauce evenly over the pizza base, then spread the spinach over the top. Add the olives and sprinkle over the shredded mozzarella and fetta. Finish with the chilli flakes and a drizzle of olive oil. Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Transfer the pizza onto the heated pizza stone.
Cook the pizza in the oven for five to 10 minutes or until golden and crisp. Using a pizza paddle or wide spatula, carefully transfer the pizza to a chopping board or plate. Sprinkle the semi-dried tomatoes over the pizza and serve with a good squeeze of lemon.
Makes one 30-centimetre round pizza (serves 1-2)
Smoked salmon with caviar and mascarpone
If you don't want to spend hundreds of dollars going out to the finest restaurant in town, why not whip up this little number? It has smoked salmon, which is cheaper than valet parking, and you can either splurge on the best caviar or go for simple salmon roe (a less expensive type of caviar), which won't break the bank but will give you a wonderful flavour and texture. And the best bit? You can always get a table at home.
1/2 red onion
2 tbsp olive oil, and 1 tsp extra to serve
Semolina or plain flour for dusting
170g pizza dough ball
60ml pizza sauce
1 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
50g shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tbsp capers, rinsed and drained
115g smoked salmon (5 slices)
2 tbsp mascarpone cheese
2 tbsp avruga caviar or salmon roe
Lemon dressing
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil
Sea salt and ground black pepper
Handful of fresh watercress
Place a pizza stone in the oven. Preheat the oven to 180C. Cut the onion into three-millimetre-thick slices and toss in one tablespoon of the olive oil. Line a baking tray with baking paper and add the onion slices. Roast for four minutes or until onion is soft.
Increase the oven to its highest temperature. Once it has reached that temperature, it will take about 15 minutes for the pizza stone to heat up. Lightly dust a clean work surface with semolina or plain flour, then roll the dough ball into a 30-centimetre round about three millimetres thick. Transfer the pizza base to a piece of baking paper. Prick the pizza base all over with a fork. Spread the pizza sauce evenly over the base. Sprinkle with the parsley and shredded mozzarella. Top with the onion. Transfer the pizza onto the heated pizza stone. Cook the pizza in the oven for five to 10 minutes or until golden and crisp.
Meanwhile, heat another tablespoon of the olive oil in a very small frying pan over medium-high heat and cook the capers until crisp. Drain on kitchen paper. To make the lemon dressing, combine the lemon juice and olive oil in a bowl and season with sea salt and black pepper. Add the watercress and toss to combine. Using a pizza paddle, carefully transfer the pizza to a chopping board. Top with slices of salmon, the lemon dressing and dollops of mascarpone topped with caviar. Sprinkle with the capers. Drizzle with the remaining teaspoon of olive oil and finish with pepper.
Makes one 30-centimetre pizza, serves 1-2.