The Perfect Pizza

When I was vegetarian in my teen years, my mum made the best veggie pizzas. The base was made from scratch, and the topping were whatever I wanted (usually pineapple, capsicum, broccoli and carrot). Its an incredibly cheap meal (even if you just have plain old tomato and cheese) and its delicious and can be adapted to anyones tastes.

This weekend I've been making the easy and yummy tomato and cheese, and tomato, capsicum and cheese.

The base is: 1 cup of plain flour, 1 tsp dried yeast, a pinch of salt, 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil, 5 tbsp warm water. Mix the dry ingredients and make a well in the centre. Add the oil and the water and mix until a dough forms. Turn onto a floured board/benchtop and knead for a few minutes. Leave in an oiled bowl (pour some olive oil on a paper towel and wipe over a bowl) and leave for an hour - the dough should roughly double in size.

Preheat your oven to 240 C. Use your fist to punch the dough, and then knead slightly. Roll out the dough until about big enough to fit a 27cm tin. Spread tomato paste over the dough, put your toppings on (cheese goes last) and bake for 15-20 minutes.

Voila! Perfect home cooked pizza. No frozen or fast food pizza can beat that. Plus, you know exactly what's gone in it. What more could you ask for?