Description
These mini top-your-own pizzas feature a homemade thin crust dough, a savory basil and mixed herb passata sauce, and your choice of fresh toppings like black olives, yellow peppers, salami, and mozzarella. Perfect for a fun interactive meal, they’re baked to perfection with a crisp crust and melty cheese, ready in just over two hours including rising time.
Ingredients
Scale
Dough
- 300g strong white bread flour, plus extra for kneading
- 1 tbsp fast-action dried yeast
- 1 tsp caster sugar
- 1 tbsp olive oil, plus a little extra for greasing the bowl
- 190ml warm water
- Pinch of salt
Sauce
- 150ml passata
- Small pack basil, leaves picked and finely chopped
- 1 tsp mixed herbs
- Salt and pepper, to season
Toppings
- Black olives (quantity to preference)
- Yellow peppers (quantity to preference)
- Salami (quantity to preference)
- Grated cheddar cheese (quantity to preference)
- 200g ball mozzarella, torn into small pieces
Instructions
- Make the dough: In a large bowl, place the flour. Add salt to one side and the dried yeast to the opposite side. Sprinkle the caster sugar over the yeast. Add olive oil and warm water (190ml). Stir with a spoon until the dough begins to come away from the sides. Tip the mixture onto a floured surface and knead for 5–10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Lightly oil a clean bowl, place the dough inside, cover with cling film, and leave to rise for 1 hour.
- Prepare the sauce: While the dough is rising, pour the passata into a saucepan. Add the chopped basil and mixed herbs. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Bring to a gentle boil over low heat, then simmer for 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- Preheat oven: Once the dough has risen, preheat the oven to 240°C (220°C fan) or Gas mark 9. Place two large baking sheets inside the oven to heat up.
- Shape the pizza bases: Tip the risen dough onto a floured surface and punch down to knock out the air. Divide into 6 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a 15cm diameter circle. Toss each dough circle about a meter up in the air, spinning it and catching it on the back of your hand at least three times to create a thin center base with a thicker crust edge. Alternatively, continue rolling if preferred.
- Second proving: Lay two bases on a piece of baking parchment. Slide each pair carefully into a plastic bag tent and let them prove for another 15 minutes.
- Top the pizzas: Remove the hot baking sheets from the oven. Spread the cooled sauce evenly over each base, then sprinkle with mozzarella and your chosen toppings including black olives, yellow peppers, salami, and grated cheddar.
- Bake the pizzas: Slide the pizzas (on their baking parchment) onto the hot baking sheets in the oven. Bake 2–3 pizzas per tray for 12 minutes until the crust is golden and cheese is melted.
- Serve: Remove from oven, slice, and enjoy immediately.
Notes
- Use strong white bread flour to ensure the dough has good structure and chewiness.
- Tossing the dough by hand creates a nice thin base with a thicker crust and is more fun than only rolling.
- Preheating the baking trays helps achieve a crisp bottom crust.
- Feel free to customize toppings as you like; keep them moderately thinly sliced for even cooking.
- The second proving in a warm place helps keep dough light and airy.
- If you don’t have a plastic bag for the proving tent, use a damp tea towel over the bases to avoid drying out.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: mini pizzas, homemade pizza dough, individualized pizzas, baking pizzas, Italian recipes, mozzarella pizza
