Hello!
Today, let’s make a homemade pizza loaded with fresh tomatoes and green chilies which they call shishito in Japan and which we call siling haba (long chili) in the Philippines. We usually add this ingredient to our sinigang (a popular national soup that uses tamarind as its base) so it is interesting to have it as a pizza topping this time.
CAVEAT: You may no longer need to call pizza delivery services anymore when you master this recipe. *wink*
Let’s dive in.
Pizza Dough Ingredients:
(Bowl #1)
bread flour- 65 g
all-purpose flour- 25 g
instant yeast- 1 tsp
sugar- 1 tbsp
warm water- 100-110 ml
(Bowl #2)
bread flour- 65 g
all-purpose flour- 25 g
salt- 1/2 tsp
olive oil- 2 tbsp
Toppings:
marinara sauce
shishito or siling haba– 3 to 4 pcs.
fresh cherry tomatoes- amount depending on the size of your tomatoes
thinly sliced onions (preferably red onions)
bacon or pork strips if you don’t like processed meat products (optional)
grated cheese
red hot chili peppers (optional)
salt and pepper
Procedure:
1. Measure the dry ingredients first and place them in separate bowls (as stated above).
Note that the instant yeast and sugar for Bowl #1 must be placed next to each other (like two scoops of ice cream on one side of the bowl) and must not yet be mixed with the flour. The dry ingredients for Bowl #2 (bread flour, AP flour and salt) can all be mixed right away.
2. In Bowl #1, pour warm water directly to the instant yeast and thoroughly mix all ingredients. Then, transfer all the dry ingredients from Bowl #2 to Bowl #1. Mix them well before adding in your olive oil.
3. On a clean and sturdy surface, knead your dough until it becomes stretchy or springy. Kneading takes about 15 to 20 minutes.
4. Rest the dough in a bowl and cover it with a clean and moist kitchen towel.
5. When your dough has doubled in size, it must be ready to be shaped into a pizza! You may use a rolling pin if you have one. If you don’t own one, you can simply stretch the dough with your clean hands. (No biggie.)
6. Place your pizza dough on a baking tray that has olive oil or a baking sheet on its surface to help avoid the dough from sticking. Then, add a generous amount of olive oil (about 1 tbsp) on the surface of the pizza dough and poke holes through it using a fork.
7. Spread a thin layer of marinara sauce.
8. Lay the toppings (bacon, shishito, fresh tomatoes, red onions, red hot chili peppers).
9. Sprinkle salt and pepper and add your grated cheese last.
10. Bake in a pre-heated oven (230 C) for 14 minutes.
NOTES:
- Make sure to strictly follow the right timing and order of pouring the wet ingredients as this greatly affects the quality of your dough.
- The dough can double in size much faster (about 25 minutes) if you can keep it in a warm and steamy space which has about 40 C temperature.
- Poking holes through the dough can help release its steam when getting baked. Each time I forget to poke holes, the bottom of the pizza turns out wet and soggy post baking…
- Make sure that you are not overloading your pizza with sauces and toppings. The pizza dough needs enough space to breathe (Remember the poking of holes?) so that it bakes well within the baking duration. Excess toppings mean extending your baking time.
Buon appetito!
Asian Santa
July 17, 2024
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