What's the best way to make a cheat pizza?
"while shop-bought pizza bases are vile, packet naans, are not." Nigella Lawson
There has been a lot of dithering in my head about how many people I would be feeding tonight, and whether we would be eating in or out, and so I started to think about quick things I could come up with that didn't involve too much heating in case we were eating with my sister and husband at home. And my starting point was remembering having seen a pizza recipe in the latest Coles Magazine for making pizza with Turkish bread. So I bought some in Aldi, though it's probably better from Coles. Just in case as it were. After all you can always use it later.
It was just a passing thought really and then I remembered the above Nigella quote and noted David's confusion about pizza bases, wraps and pitta so I thought I would try to find out what the general opinion out there in the wide world web is.
Not so easy as it turns out. In fact I have not really found an answer or even an opinion although I have found lots of people suggesting all the various options that they claim to be the best - though without referencing any of the other options. So let's at least look at all the options.
Pizza dough without yeast - yes it's very quick and easy and I have talked about Elizabeth David's fried pizza (Pizza al Tegame) before. But you don't have to fry this kind of dough - basically self-raising flour, water and olive oil. You can also grill as Jamie Oliver demonstrates in this video. So not as quick as something pre-made, but much, much faster than making pizza dough from scratch. The Jamie Oliver recipe is from his 30 Minute Meals book so it's hardly a lengthy process.
Pizza bread mixes - bit like bread and cake mixes but I think you would still have to go through the whole bread making process - they've just mixed the dry ingredients together. So this one is no good at all for a quick fix pizza.
Frozen or chilled bread or pizza dough - the Americans seem to think that you can buy this in your local supermarket. Real dough that you just roll out. I'm not sure it's as common here though. I think Woolworths have something, but not Coles. Maybe you can get it from specialist shops or maybe even a baker. Don't know. Though I guess it should be good.
Pizza bases
There are lots of these in the supermarkets - here's an example of home brand ones and a pizza made from a pizza base. Take note of Nigella's comment that they are 'vile'. I'm not sure I would go quite as far as that, and they are certainly easy, but so far I haven't found anything I would really rave about. Mind you I did see that Baker's Delight sell them so I had a look online and they do look much more promising than what you buy in bags in the supermarket. They look like real bread before it's been cooked.
Naan - I confess I had not thought about using naan. And I have never bought naan from the supermarket, although I do know that they are there. So maybe it's worth a try. The picture at the top of the page is of Nigella's favourite topping - just tomato pulp, mushroom antipasto from a jar, fontina cheese and thyme. But of course the joy of pizza is, I guess at least in part, the joy of making up your own topping.
Pitta or Lebanese bread
Now I have done this, but so far I have not been super impressed. Easy yes, but a bit too thin. Mind you I did see, on one forum, the suggestion of going to a kebab shop or Middle Eastern bakery and buying them there. I think they are a bit thicker and less chewy than the ones in the supermarket. Certainly if you are eating pitta bread the stuff you get in Middle Eastern restaurants, however humble is just so much better than what you get in a supermarket.
Tortillas
I can't say I have ever thought of using tortillas either, but I suspect the problem would be the same as with pitta bread and with a flavour that is not quite right, though maybe interesting, for pizza.
Wraps
Too thin surely. It would make for a very crisp pizza. And maybe some people prefer their pizzas crisp, so perhaps for them it's the solution. I saw one site had attacked this problem by using two - the first was covered with pesto and cheese, and then another was placed on top before doing all the usual stuff. Don't think I'm going to try this one.
Turkish bread
And so we come to my original inspiration for dinner tonight (it's not happening - leftovers again) from Coles Magazine. I think I have tried it before but can't remember the result. You slice the loaf in half horizontally and then do your thing. Some cooks seem to suggest you should oil the cut side and grill or toast in the oven a bit before adding your toppings.
Anyway it looks a bit more like what I would think of as a good pizza. But then again, maybe it's just too much bread.
Or you could, of course, just phone up your nearest take-away pizza shop and order in. But I think pizza should be eaten straight from the oven and even the best ones eaten as they come from the oven are getting a bit soggy by the time you get to the end. Certainly even the best take-aways are past their best by the time they get to you.
So please tell me what you think? What do you do when you want to make pizza in a hurry? I suppose you could always make a big batch of dough and freeze it in appropriate lumps. Like I do for quiche. Maybe you can't really do pizza in a hurry anyway.
