If you are interested in reading about the esteem in which I hold pizza as a go to food, read my simple version comments. I won't go over it again, but suffice to say when it comes to pizza I am definitely a fan. Kids usually are too, however the ones in our family could spot a exotic pizza at fifty paces and are unlikely to be impressed. In fact the chances of a pizza with sun dried tomato and artichokes being deemed "yucky" are pretty high. Kids like the familiar, so you may be safer go with the simple version. However this base recipe doubles easily (or split it between two smaller pizza trays), so why not make one adult version and one for the small people.That way pizza night stays fun and (relatively) calm for all.
(Yields 8 Slices (or as many as you want to cut it into really, but I need a benchmark to work out the nutritional information))
Ingredients
2 1/4 Cups all purpose flour 1 Cup lukewarm water 2 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast 1 teaspoon honey 1 cup shredded skim mozzarella cheese 3 tablespoons tomato paste mixed with 1 1/2 tablespoons water 2 cloves crushed garlic 100g sun-dried tomato (not packed in oil) 150 g sliced mushrooms 200g lean ham shredded 100g roasted red peppers 3 -4 anchovies 2 fresh tomato, deseeded and chopped 50g Olives Olive Oil spray
Method
Dissolve the honey in the water. Add the yeast and allow to sit in a warm place for five minutes (the yeast should bubble a little). Add the water to the flour and mix until it is combined into a workable ball. Kneed the dough for about 5 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Spray the dough with a little olive oil, cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest in a warm place for 45 minutes or until doubled in size. (This makes enough to fill my 40 cm perforated pizza tray, it may seem like drama, but making it you save 50 calories per slice and personally I find kneading dough quite therapeutic).
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees f. Spray the pizza pan with olive oil spray and spread the dough over the pan. Bake the dough (untopped) in the oven for 8 minutes, this will begin to crisp the dough and avoid that sogginess that you can sometimes get from home made pizza. Soak the sun-dried tomato in hot water for about 10 minutes to soften. Remove the dough from the oven, top with tomato paste and the other toppings, spray the pizza with olive oil spray. Return to the oven and bake for 25 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the crust begins to brown at the edges.
Per Slice
Calories
Fat
Sodium
Carbs
Fiber
Protein
280
7.8 g
604 mg
38.3 g
3.14 g
16 g
Per Slice (base with sauce and cheese only, add your own favorite toppings and change the calories/fat etc accordingly....)
Calories
Fat
Sodium
Carbs
Fiber
Protein
199
5.3 g
216 mg
29.2 g
1.45 g
11.4 g
Serving Suggestions
Whilst I do try to avoid the ubiquitous "dipping sauce" problem is they are so good. If you are like me and sometimes need a hit, marinara is your best option, and really, you can just use any tomato sauce you like. If you must have the creamy version, you can do one that will not destroy all your good work if you mix low fat mayonnaise with a little non fat ranch dressing and garlic powder. It's not great, but to give you a bench mark, two tablespoons gives you around 40 Calories, whereas the same amount of a well known chain's "creamy garlic dipping sauce" would give you about 155 calories.
