Food Slice: Red and Green Peppers Pizza

For the first time since i started blogging, i got inspired to cook for a blogging event. The event is "Lets cook for Christmas - Red and Green". I didn't even read the blog rules that apply for participation, i simply wanted to cook something using red and green ingredients and with a finished product that looks red and green. I was so very happy when the pizza came out of the oven the day after Christmas, and not just because during the previous week i had baked my first inedible pizza (I really don't want to talk about that disaster. It happened because i decided i didn't have to knead the dough, at all! Yeah, after baking about two dozen pizzas, i baked one that went straight to the trash can). This one though was miles ahead of the last one, the thin crust with whole wheat flour included was not only healthier, it was delicious too. And staying with sauteed bell peppers, without overloading with all sorts of toppings, brought out those delicate sweet flavours absolutely perfectly. When the soft mozzarella was bubbling away without burning during the last two minutes of baking, the house smelled amazing too. One of the best pizzas i have eaten in a long time.

red and green bell peppers, diced

Ingredients

For the dough, slightly modified from here

1 cup plain flour/ maida

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon active dry yeast

1/4 cup lukewarm water (may need 1 or 2 tablespoons more)

1/4 cup lukewarm milk

1 tablespoon olive oil or any vegetable oil, plus 1 tsp for coating the dough

2 teaspoons sugar

Stages of assembling the pizza

For assembling the pizza

2 tablespoons tomato sauce; any pizza or pasta sauce or simply tomato ketchup

150 grams soft mozzarella cheese (i used a new brand called Kodai)

1 red bell pepper

1 green bell pepper

1 green chili, finely chopped

salt to taste

6-8 jalapeno slices (bottled ones), optional

oregano flakes for sprinkling on top, optional

close-up of the pizza just before it went into the oven

Method

Add the yeast to lukewarm water along with a teaspoon of sugar. Leave for 5-10 minutes until the yeast dissolves and mixture becomes frothy. Mix all the remaining dough ingredients and the yeast mixture in a bowl. Knead the dough for about 8-10 minutes on a lightly floured surface, sprinkling in a little additional flour if the dough is too sticky. Lightly oil a bowl and put the dough ball in. Turn it all sides until it is completely coated in oil. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and leave it in a warm place until the dough approximately doubles in volume. This might take between 1-2 hours.

Gently deflate the dough on a floured surface. Roll out the dough into an approximate circle and five mm thickness. Lightly brush the top with oil and cover it loosely with a plastic wrap. Place it on the pizza pan/ baking sheet in which you will bake the pizza and let it rest for 15-20 minutes.

While the dough is resting, preheat the oven to 475F and get your pizza topppings ready. Discard the stem and white membrane of the bell peppers and chop into half inch squares. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a pan on medium heat, add the chilies and bell peppers and saute until soft, stirring ocassionally for approximately 6-8 minutes. Season with salt and keep aside. To assemble the pizza, spread the tomato sauce on the pizza base, add half the cheese (sliced or grated), evenly spread the cooked bell peppers and jalapeno slices, if using. Top up with the remaining cheese and sprinkle some oregano flakes. Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes until the cheese starts bubbling on top. Slice and serve.