Pizza Recipe: Ham, Tomato and Rosemary with Mozzarella and Parmesan

On By cruiseoflifeIn Pizza, Stromboli, and Calzone

Freshly baked pizza from our own kitchens is actually quite easy to make. It is also cheaper and we can definitely adjust the dough and the topping to our preferences. I like to add salt, sugar and pepper to season the dough and add a little bit of dried oregano to enhance the flavor.

I also like to use different toppings to create different flavors such as adding fresh tomatoes, fresh basil, oregano or even thyme. Sometimes I use marinara sauce, pesto sauce, cheese sauce or even no sauce and just layer the pizza base with extra virgin olive oil or garlic oil. For the meat, I rotate between sliced ham, pepperoni, salami, stir fry beef and mushrooms and sometimes I even use leftover grilled chicken as my pizza topping. Onions, shallots and cherry tomatoes are common ingredients for my pizza toppings too.

For the marinara sauce, you can make your own pizza sauce or buy ready to use one from the supermarket (whichever is more comfortable for you). For the crust, you can also shape it into a thick or thin crust. Daddy and I preferred thicker crust while our boy loved thin crust so much (the thinner the better for him). So I usually make 2 different crusts from the same dough (I just had to divide the dough into 2 and made it thicker or thinner).

To avoid my mozzarella cheese from getting burnt, I would bake the dough with sauce first for about 5  minutes before adding the cheese and meat and bake for another 5 to 7 minutes. If you are using vegetables such as mushrooms, you might want to cook it first to make sure they are thoroughly cooked before you consume them. Please remember to preheat your oven to at least 30 minutes before baking starts).

You can also freeze the dough if you don’t want to bake all at once. After the dough is elastic, wrap tightly with cling wrap and then put inside a Ziploc bag and keep in the freezer. Take out from the freezer 3 hours before you start using the dough, shape and bake it.

To make the dough, you can either use a mixer, a food processor or even hand-knead it. My favorite equipment would be my food processor because it is so easy and fast to make the dough. The dough will become elastic within seconds (not even 1 minute). Pizza dough just has to be elastic, you do not need to knead it until windowpane stage.

Ingredients:

  1. 440 gr bread flour
  2. 10 gr instant yeast
  3. 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  4. 3/4 tsp salt
  5. 1 tbsp sugar
  6. 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
  7. 300 ml of water
  8. 2 tbsp olive oil

For the toppings:

  1. Marinara sauce
  2. Grated mozzarella cheese
  3. Grated Parmesan
  4. Fresh tomatoes, sliced
  5. Ham slices
  6. Rosemary leaves

For brushing:

  1. Olive oil or garlic oil

Method:

If using a mixer:

  1. Attach bowl and dough hooks to the mixer and add bread flour, instant yeast, dried oregano, sugar, pepper and water and start mixing until dough clings to the hooks
  2. Add salt and olive oil and continue mixing until the dough is smooth and slowly bounce back when you poke with your finger. When you lift the hooks, the dough should be clinging to the hooks. It doesn’t have to be in the windowpane stage
  3. Continue to step 5 below

If using a food processor:

  1. In a food processor, combine flour, instant yeast, dried oregano, salt, sugar and pepper and pulse to mix the ingredients
  2. With the motor running, add the water and mix until the dough come together in a rough mass
  3. Add olive oil through the opening on the top of the food processor and process for about 15 seconds or until the dough form into a ball. Let rest for 5 minutes
  4. Process again for another 30 seconds. The dough should be tacky but not sticky to the touch
  5. Transfer the dough to a silicon mat and form a smooth ball
  6. Lightly grease a bowl with olive oil and place dough in the bowl and cover with a clean cloth. Let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour or until doubled in bulk. To see if the dough has risen enough, simply poke your finger into the dough, and if the fingermark stays, then it has finished rising
  7. Punch dough down to release the air and divide into 2
  8. Start to preheat your oven to 240 or 250 Celsius degree and prepare a pizza pan
  9. Transfer the dough to the pizza pan and lightly press the dough to flatten it, then gently stretch the dough with your 4 fingers (not including the thumbs). Try not to use a rolling pin. You can roll it as thin or thick as you want but the outer sides should be thicker to create an outer crust
  10. Brush the top and the sides of the dough with olive oil or garlic oil (this will prevent the dough from getting soggy)
  11. Using a fork, make several holes in the dough to distribute the heat more evenly that will result in a crispy crust
  12. Spread the sauce evenly, but left the outer sides without the sauce then bake for about 5 minutes or until the crust starts to brown
  13. Remove from the oven and add mozzarella cheese, sliced ham, sliced tomato, rosemary leaves and top with grated parmesan
  14. Bake again for another 7 minutes or until cheese has melted completely and the sides of the pizza are golden brown
  15. Remove from the oven, and generously brush the outer sides of the crust with olive oil or garlic oil
  16. Slice and serve

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