The Lazy Girl's Guide to No-Oven Pizza 

Pizza is the ultimate comfort food. Does just thinking about one with all that cheese on the top makes your mouth melt like mozzarella? Well, ours too. But putting together one at home can seem intimidating. Just how do you get the perfect base and get the oven to fire up at the right temperature and turn out the perfect pizza!! But what if we told you that you could make a pizza at home without an oven? You read it right. You will just need a pan and a stove to dish out a delicious, melt-in-the-mouth pizza. 

Chef Pragati Mitta from L’opera lets us in onto the recipe of a no-oven pizza. She says, “Although pizzas are traditionally made in ovens (ideally wood-fired ovens for the best flavour), those of us who don’t have one at home need not despair. It’s fairly easy to make a pizza on the stove, given the right kind of pan and control over the heat.”

Tomatoes and Basil, No-Oven Pizza

Recipe

Ingredients for sauce:

1kg Tomatoes

4 cloves Garlic

Fresh Basil, to taste

Salt, a pinch

½ tsp Sugar 

2 tbsp Olive Oil

 

Ingredients for dough:                

2 tbsp Yeast

140g Warm Water (approx. 70°C) 

320g All-Purpose Flour

1 tsp Salt

1 tbsp Olive Oil + more for oiling the pan & bowl

Cheese:

150 Mozzarella Cheese

Ingredients for toppings:

*(Option 1)

Black Olives

Cherry Tomatoes – lightly roasted

Bell Pepper

Paprika

Fresh Basil Leaves

Sauce:

Chop tomatoes in big pieces and set aside.

In a large pot pour olive oil and set to low/medium heat.

Add minced garlic. After 30 seconds add tomatoes.

Slow cook tomatoes for 2 hours on low heat, occasionally stirring till the skins fall off the flesh.

To homogenize sauce either strain through mesh with large holes or use a blender.

Return sauce to heat to reduce. Season with salt and sugar. Finish with chopped fresh basil.

Dough:

Add yeast to small quantity of warm water and leave it to froth for a few mins.

Combine the above with the rest of the ingredients, adding the water a little at a time and mixing with a wooden spoon.

Knead the dough for 4-5 mins till smooth.

Leave dough to ferment in a covered bowl for 1 hour. The dough should double in size.

Divide the dough into two, form smooth balls and leave them to rest on a floured surface for a further 10 mins.

Cheese & Toppings:

Grate the cheese and set aside.

Prepare the toppings by chopping/roasting them as needed.

Assembling the Pizza:

Lightly oil a cast-iron or non-stick pan and place it on low/medium heat.

Using a rolling pin, roll out a ball of dough into a circle to fit the size of your pan.

Place pizza dough in the pre-heated pan and cover it with a lid. Cook for 3-4 mins till the top starts bubbling and the bottom is a golden colour.

Flip the pizza dough and cover the cooked side with pizza sauce, cheese and toppings (except the fresh basil).

Immediately cover the pan and let it cook another 3-4 mins. Turn off the flame and keep the pan covered till the cheese is fully melted. When the bottom is slightly browned and the cheese is melted, the pizza is ready. 

Garnish with fresh basil, cut into slices and serve immediately.