Mixed Herbs Pizza

Sometime last month, the family was out to run some errands and we had pizza for dinner at a local restaurant.  It was the worst pizza I've ever had, crust was ultra thick (more like eating bread), pathetic ingredients and I thought the pizzas had taken a dip in a pool of oil.  I decided to make my own since we have not had homemade pizzas for more than 2 months.

With some leftover bakkwa from CNY sitting in the fridge, I decided to try HHB's mixed herbs pizza.  Added some sauted button mushrooms and tomatoes but I forgot my olives :-(

Instead of hand kneading, I let my breadmachine do the job.  It was a breeze and my time saver as I could spend some good quality time with my kids where the machine did the work.

DH had been complaining I've been too generous with my cheese and that contributed to his waistline expansion so I went easy with the cheese now.

HHB mentioned that the centre of her pizza crust was less crispy as compared to the edge.  I thought the problem could be easily resolved since I always pre-bake my pizza crust.  However, even with pre-baking, the centre of the pizza crusts remained soft :-(

Hawaiian pizza again.  This is a "must have" whenever we have homemade pizza.  With the balance bakkwa, mushrooms and tomatoes, I laid the balance ingredients at the side of the pan.

A slightly over-baked pizza as I was bathing DD3 :P

Mixed Herbs Pizza
(Adapted from Baking with Kids by Linda Collister)

Ingredients
300g bread flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1.5 teaspoon instant yeast
3/4 teaspoon dried mixed herbs
185ml lukewarm water (I used room temperature)
1.5 tablespoon olive oil

Method

1. Place flour, salt, yeast and dried mixed herbs in a mixing bowl. Mix well with hand. Make a well in the centre and add the water and olive oil. Using your hand, gradually work the ingredients together to form a soft dough.
2. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for 10mins until the dough becomes smooth and elastic. Shape dough into a round ball and place in a lightly oiled mixing bowl. Cover with cling wrap and leave to rise for 1 hr or until double in size.
3. Turn out the risen dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knock it down to release the air. Give it a few gentle kneading. Divide dough into 2 equal portions. Shape into two balls, cover loosely with cling wrap and let the doughs rest for about 10mins.
4. Roll or press out each portion to a round, about 12" in size. Place dough on baking tray lined with parchment paper or on a greased pan.
5. Dock with a fork all around the crust.
6. Bake in preheated oven at 180C for 8 - 10 mins. Set aside till further use.
7. Spread some pizza sauce over the dough to within 1 cm (0.5 inch) of the edge. Arrange a layer of grated cheese (I used grated mozzarella), followed by preferred toppings. Sprinkle the top all over with grated cheese.
8. Bake in a preheat oven at 200 degC for 10 - 12 mins or until the crust has turned golden and the cheese has melted. Serve warm.