pizza

Pizza is an iconic dish from Italy, which has become a favourite of many people all around the world. It consists of a large and usually round and thin layer of dough, which is covered with tomato sauce, cheese, and a variety of other toppings depending on the type of the pizza. It is highly popular mostly thanks to its simplicity, crispy crust found around the edges and the endless range of options for preparing it. 

Among the most common kinds of pizza, you’ll find such delights as the Marinara, Margarita, Diavola or Quatro Formaggi. Another popular choice is the traditional Neapolitan pizza with fluffy crust, which can be topped with just about anything you feel like. In recent years, American style pizza has been gaining more traction, particularly the typical New York or Chicago style pizza, which is made in a deeper dish, filled with more ingredients. Nowadays, you may also come across a variety of protein-rich pizza for athletes and active individuals. There’s also a wide range of low-calorie pizza types which often feature in the diets of people looking to lose some weight.

How to make your own fitness pizza at home?

Many of us may be surprised that there’s a way to enjoy pizza even while sticking to a low-calorie weight loss diet. There’s a wide variety of fit pizza types, which can easily refresh your daily diet. You may want to try out protein pizza or mini pizza prep blends that will allow you to get yours ready in just about 10 minutes. As for toppings and decoration, the choice is up to you. Try tomatoes, cheese, high-quality ham slices, tofu or even tuna. 

Another great way to prepare your pizza real quick is to make use of a pre-made pizza base, that only needs to be covered in tomato sauce and simple toppings such as chicken breast nuggets, cheese and herbs, before it’s ready to go right into the oven. If you decide to make your own base dough at home, you may want to substitute the regular wheat flour with an alternative such as spelt or oat flour, which will ensure a richer content of dietary fibre. If you’re looking to make the dough even lighter, a part, or even the entire portion of the flour that goes into the dough may be substituted with curd, cauliflower, zucchini or mozzarella with ground almonds. 

How to make a vegan or gluten-free pizza? 

Pizza doesn’t have to be a no-go in your diet even in case you don’t want to, or simply can’t eat gluten due to a medical condition. You can also enjoy a delicious pie if your diet is entirely plant-based. To make a gluten-free pizza, all you have to do is substitute the regular wheat flour with a gluten-free alternative such as oat flour. Then you can add selected gluten-free ingredients. This could be vegetables, mushrooms, ham or cheese. 

You can also enjoy a wonderfully tasty slice even if you limit yourself to using only plant-based ingredients. The base can be covered with ketchup and then finished off with any toppings you desire – veggies, herbs, tofu, tempeh, seitan or a vegan cheese alternative. Truly, only the sky’s the limit when it comes to making it your own.

What toppings can you use for pizza?

Are you wondering what to put on the top? It’s quite simple. Use whatever suits your taste. Start with a good base, whether it’s tomato sugo, pesto, cream sauce or a vegetable salsa. Follow up by throwing on a few slices of ham, prosciutto, pieces of chicken breast, tuna, mozzarella or any other cheese you like. And you don’t have to go easy on veggies, either. Aside from the good old tomato, there’s a whole lot more that works just perfectly: bell peppers, broccoli, corn, zucchini, and even mushrooms and herbs such as fresh basil. Then, once you’ve made a pizza pie with your own personal touch to it, you can fine-tune the crust by spreading some olive oil flavoured with garlic, chilli or herbs on it. And before you stick it in the oven, there’s that one last sensitive question to answer on your own – does pineapple belong on a pizza?  

How long should your pizza stay in the oven?

Once your base is ready and covered with all of the ingredients you like on it, place it on a baking tray and slide it into an oven, preheated at the temperature of 180 – 200 °C. Pizza needs about 15 – 20 minutes to bake properly. You’ll know it’s ready when the crust gets golden and the cheese melts. Once done, pull it out and let it cool off a bit before slicing it into triangles and serving it. 

Recipe for simple pizza base dough

Making your own pizza base without having to prepare any sourdough at home is easy and can be done by virtually anyone. Simply mix 250 g of flour, 1 teaspoon of salt, 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 150 ml of water. This way, you’ll prepare a mass of dough that needs to be chilled in the fridge for a bit. Once it has had its time to rest, flatten it into a thin layer and cover it with all of your favourite ingredients that you’re looking forward to enjoying. At this point, all you have to do is place it on a baking tray, slide it into a preheated oven and patiently wait for it to bake to perfection. And if you find yourself with a little bit more time on your hands at some point, why not try making your own leavened or yeast-based sourdough pizza base?

The best fitness pizza recipes