Red onion, capsicum and ham pizza

By Mandy Sinclair

Cuisine type: Italian, Mediterranean, Modern Australian, Western European
Cooking time: More than 1 hour
Special options: Kid friendly, Low fat
Course: Finger food, Lunch, Main, Snacks
Favourite flavours: Cheese

INGREDIENTS

¼ cup (60ml) oil
3 garlic cloves, crushed
250g mozzarella cheese, sliced
150g shaved ham, chopped
1 red capsicum, thinly sliced
2 red onions, halved, thinly sliced
baby spinach, to serve (optional)

Pizza dough
2 cups (300g) flour, sifted
1 sachet (7g) active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup (250ml) warm water
1 tablespoon olive oil

METHOD

1. To make pizza dough, combine flour, yeast, sugar and 1 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Combine warm water with half of olive oil and stir into dry ingredients with a wooden spoon, until dough becomes too firm to stir. Using your hands, work dough into a ball, then turn out onto a lightly floured surface.

2. Knead dough until smooth and elastic. Brush a large bowl with remaining olive oil. Place dough in bowl, turning to grease all over. Cover with plastic wrap and a clean tea towel. Leave in a warm place for 1 hour, until mixture doubles in size. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, punch down and knead lightly.

3. Preheat oven to 220°C or 200°C fan. Grease two baking trays. Halve dough and roll out each piece to a 22 x 33cm rectangle. Place on prepared trays.

4. Brush combined oil and garlic over each pizza base, leaving a 1cm border around edges. Top with mozzarella, ham, capsicum and onion. Bake for 15 minutes, until pizza is golden and base is crisp. Top with spinach, if you like, and serve.

MESSENGER