Never have I thought that pizza can be cooked without an oven, but it is indeed possible. Fried pizza is crispier as compared to the baked ones. It can be served as a snack or an appetizer just like canapés.
Ingredients:
For the pizza sauce:
6 to 8 medium Roma tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 clove garlic, smashed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed chili pepper
1 pinch sugar
1 tablespoon tomato paste
For the dough:
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
Pinch sugar
2/3 cup (5 fl oz) warm water
2 cups plain (all-purpose) flour
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
For the toppings:
2 x 150g balls of buffalo mozzarella
5 teaspoons dried oregano
extra virgin olive oil
1 clove of garlic, peeled and finely sliced
a handful of fresh basil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Other ingredients:
flour, for dusting
olive oil for frying
In a saucepan, sauté the garlic in olive oil; add tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes. When the tomatoes are soft, mash them. Mix in the basil, salt, pepper, crushed chili and tomato paste. Cook for another 5 minutes or until the mixture is smooth. Taste the sauce and add more salt and pepper if desired. Set aside.
In a bowl, combine sugar, olive oil, salt and yeast. Mix well. Let it set for about 10 minutes.
Sieve the flour in a clean work surface like a counter or a table. Make a well at the middle. Pour the yeast mixture in the well. With a fork, mix the flour and liquid mixture gradually. Once it forms dough, dust your hands with flour and knead until you have a smooth ball. If it cracks, it means it is too dry; add more water. If it is runny, add more flour. Make sure you add ingredients in small amounts.
Place the ball in a flour dusted bowl and cover it with a damp cloth. Let it rise for an hour. Make sure that it has doubled its size.
Place the dough on the flour dusted work surface. Divide into 6-8 parts. Using a rolling pin, flatten the dough. Roll out the dough a few minutes before cooking. If you have to prepare it ahead of time, make sure you cover it with clingfilm. You can use the same pizza dough recipe for oven baked pizzas
In a non-stick pan, heat 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil (approximately 2 cm). Fry the pizza dough in batches until it is a little brown. Flip it once. Transfer it to a plate with paper towels to drain the oil. Spoon some tomato sauce on the pizza crust. Top with mozzarella cheese and basil. Â Grill the pizzas on a stove top for 2 minutes or until the cheese melts. Cool for 1-2 minutes before serving.
Photo Courtesy Of: @joefoodie