Homemade Pizza

So yesterday was a really chilly (like -1C chilly) Saturday night and we decided to give a go at making pizza from scratch instead of ordering a) because it's more fun, b) because it's cheaper and c) because it's healthier.

You'll just need:

• 165g strong white flour
• 3g dried yeast
• 120ml warm water
• Pinch of salt
• Pinch of caster sugar

Method:

1. Just combine all the ingredients together by hand until the dough comes together to form a ball. 
2. You will need to knead the dough well on a floured surface for about 8-10 minutes until it becomes soft and springy.
3. Place the dough in a bowl and cover with cling film and leave to rest at room temperature for 15 minutes.
4. After this time, split the dough in half and roll out into two thin pizza bases. 
5. Spread some tomato sauce over the dough but leave out the edges. You can also add some dried basil or oregano if you like. 
6. Sprinkle a few handfuls of pizza cheese over the tomato sauce (pizza cheese is usually a mixture of cheddar and mozzarella cheese). 
7. Arrange your toppings on top of the cheese mixture, season if needed and add some more dried herbs if you like.
8. Place on baking paper or foil and bake in a preheated oven at 220C/450F/Gas Mark 8 for 10-15 minutes until the cheese has melted and the dough is cooked. 
9. Drizzle with olive oil and decorate with fresh basil leaves if you like!
10. Enjoy!

Voi-la! Our results from last night's attempt

Welcome Home!

Good evening everyone!

I think it is only fair that I make a little introduction of myself.

I am 22, female and working full time since I've graduated from uni with a degree in English Language and Literature.

I am totally in love with my books and I used to have a blog in which I was regularly practising my writing skills but I kind of stopped doing that after I left high school as I started moving towards the adult phase of my life. 

I may have 'lost' writing, but I have since then started to culminate an interest in cooking and everything that relates to this magical and inexhaustible source of creativity.

I started cooking mainly because I needed food to survive - the perks of being a student abroad - but in the past year it has become something more than that - it's become a form of expression. Could it be because I am no longer cooking for myself only but for my lovely high school sweetheart as well -we've been living together for the past year - could it be because I've filled the whole place - our love shack - with cooking books? I don't know the reason behind this, I just know that cooking can be so much more than a plate with 'just food'. I know cooking is love and happiness and wonderful tastes that awaken the senses and bring back memories or perhaps create new ones...

So I hope that you enjoy reading my posts and that you can find interesting home-made recipes that have been made with love by the cooking shack.