For the love of pizza (and your tummy)

Just about everyone loves pizza. If you’re a pizza lover, chances are the phrase “too much” seldom crosses your lips, and you can but taste a world of cheesy, saucy goodness waiting to tickle your taste buds. The classic American pizza pie consists of a flat, open–faced round of bread–type dough topped with tomato sauce and cheese and any number of different toppings. Still there is a lot more to say about pizza than,

“Make mine a large with mozzarella, mushrooms, and pepperoni.”

Pizza comes in many forms too - that just increases its awesomeness tenfold! So you get the basic triangle, circle and rectangular versions. But have you ever been to the bakery and seen those braided pizza breads, all freshly baked from the oven? I always used to think those would be super hard. Turns out, not at all. Making a pizza is an incredibly fun activity - so try this out with a bunch of your friends or your little ones! Below is a must try for all pizza lovers.

Ingredients:

Dough:

All–purpose/plain flour ­– 4 cups

Instant yeast – 1 tbsp

Powdered milk – 2 tbsp

Salt –1 tsp

Oil – 4 tbsp

Egg (plus 1 for glazing) – 1

Castor sugar – 1 tsp

Baking powder – ¼ tsp (to reduce any yeasty smell)

Ingredients:

Chicken Filling:

Chicken boiled and shredded 1 ½ – 2 cups

Onions (chopped finely) – 1 medium or 2 small

Salt – 1 tsp

Black pepper – 1 tsp

Coriander leaves – 2 tbsp

Chopped green chillies – 4

Garam masala powder – 1 tsp

Flour – 2 tbsp

Butter – 2 tbsp

Milk –1 cup

Sesame seeds (as required)

Method

For the dough:

1. In a bowl mix together flour, salt, castor sugar, milk powder, yeast, baking powder, oil and an egg, knead to a medium soft dough with slightly warm water, leave to rise for one hour.

2. Divide the dough into two or three depending on how big you want the loaves.

For the filling:

1. Heat butter, fry onion till soft then add 2 tbsp. flour with salt, black pepper, garam masala.

2. Add the milk, cook till thick, mix in the shredded chicken add chopped green chillies and coriander leaves, remove and cool completely.

Alternatively, you can add in any type of filling you want.



How to braid the bread:

1. Roll out the dough into a rectangle.

2. Put the chicken filling in the center. Top it off with a slice of cheese.

3. With a sharp knife, make even slits on either side.

4. Take a slit from the right and cross over to the left and take a slit from the left and cross over to the right. Keep doing that with every slit you have made.

5. When you reach the end, gently tuck in the bread and you're done!

6. Brush it with an egg wash (beaten egg) and sprinkle sesame seeds on top.

7. Preheat the oven at 180⁰C and put it in the oven for about 25–30 minutes or till the bread takes on a golden brown tinge.

And you are good to go!

Season’s greetings pizza lovers!