Kim-Joy’s fat cat pizza recipe
“Involve all your friends and family in decorating their pizzas with their favorite toppings, then enjoy the beauty of healthy homemade (cat) pizzas!”
fat cat pizzas
Contents:
(makes 3 small pizzas)
for dough:
400g strong white flour, plus extra to get the powder
2 teaspoons of salt
7g fast acting dry yeast
280 ml of water (if you are in a hurry, use warm water to speed up the rise, but this is not necessary)
20ml olive oil, plus extra for greasing
Semolina flour for the bottom of the pizza (optional, but gives it extra crunch)
For the above:
About 10 tablespoons of tomato sauce for pizza (see below)
1 tablespoon of capers
200 g mozzarella (drained weight)
A pair of black olives for the cat face
Black gel food coloring mixed with a small amount of water to color cat whiskers
A handful of fresh basil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra olive oil for drizzling
For the tomato sauce:
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons of concentrated tomato puree
1 x 400g can of diced tomatoes
Italian seasoning, to taste
Salt and pepper
Method:
1. To make tomato sauce, heat a saucepan over medium heat, then add olive oil and garlic. Fry for 20-30 seconds until lightly golden (but not brown). Add the tomato puree and fry for 30 seconds. Add the chopped tomatoes and a few pinches of Italian seasoning and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally. After five to 10 minutes the sauce should have reduced and thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a bowl, cover with cling film and chill in the refrigerator until ready to use.
2. To make the dough, put the flour, salt and yeast in a stand mixer with dough hook (you can also use a bread machine to just knead). Be careful that the salt does not come into direct contact with the yeast. Stir, then pour in the water and olive oil.
Fly: If you don’t have a machine or time to mix the dough and want a better taste and no need to knead, mix all the ingredients in a large bowl, cover with cling film and let the dough rise. until doubled in the refrigerator overnight. The second rise after shaping will take a little longer because the dough will still be cold from the fridge, but remember that the colder and slower the rise, the better the final greasy cat pizza will be!
3. Place the dough in a large lightly greased bowl, cover with cling film and let rise for about an hour (depends on ambient temperature – it will rise faster if the room is warmer) or until doubled in size. in size.
4. Meanwhile, prepare the ingredients for your pizza. At least 30 minutes before the dough is ready, preheat your oven to maximum temperature and start preheating a baking steel, stone, or just a standard flat baking sheet (ideally lipless for convenience). Doing so will give your pizza a crispier base.
5. Once the dough has risen, set aside some for the ears, then divide the remaining dough into three equal parts and place each piece on a separate baking sheet (sprinkle the semolina on the paper first if you want extra crispy). Use the inside of your hand to press each piece into a rough circle, then stretch the dough with your hand to thin the edges thicker than the middle. Use the reserved dough to add the ears and press very well to make them stick.
6. Add your ingredients to the dough, leaving space for the cat face at the top. Add sliced black olives for eyes and mouth.
7. Let the pizzas rise at room temperature for about 20 minutes, or until they rise slightly. They should not grow too large in size. If you made the first rise overnight, allow the dough to come to room temperature (up to two hours) before baking.
8. Once elevated, slide any flat tray (even a piece of hard cardboard) under one of the pizzas – this should be easy to do as the pizza should be on a baking sheet. Slide the pizza onto the preheated stone, steel or baking sheet with the baking paper. If you are not using a heated tray, place the pizza tray in the oven as normal.
9. Bake a pizza for about five to 12 minutes at a time. The hotter your oven is and the hotter the baking stone or steel, the faster they will cook!
10. After cooking, quickly paint the whiskers using black food coloring mixed with a small amount of water and a paintbrush, then season with pepper, sprinkle with fresh basil (depending on the toppings you choose) and drizzle with extra olive oil. Serve now.
Bake Me A Cat by Kim-Joy was released by Quadrille on March 16 for £16.99. Ellis Parrinder’s photo.