Homemade Pizza with Paneer, Tomato and Basil

Photo courtesy: Dr. Debarshi Chatterji

What do you do when you have a bunch of ingredients left from your party? You bake a Pizza! This delicious quick homemade pizza is indeed a great way to use up all those leftover herbs and vegetables. Now I decided to use Indian spices and Paneer in it but you can improvise the toppings in anyway you like. I got the Pizza crust recipe from the Food Network site so be assured it is tried and tested. Paneer is fresh cheese so it can be consumed just like any other cheese (without cooking) but if you are adding sausages or any meat in this, you may want to pan fry them first because the baking time may not be enough to cook them thoroughly.

The original recipe asked for a dusting of cornmeal for a crispy Pizza base which I didn’t have so I used semolina which brought that same result. Also, Debarshi is not too fond of Parmesan cheese so I just used mozzarella both for the base and top. The best part is the ingredients, you don’t need anything special for this recipe just a few things from your pantry and fridge and the result – piping hot pizza from your oven. Baked from scratch so you can show this off to your friends. Now I used my stand mixer to knead the dough but you can easily knead it by hand also. Your friends or kids can choose their favorite toppings and create their own pizzas.

To warm up the leftover cold pizza, simply slide it in the oven for 5-10 minutes at 400 degrees F or microwave it! Believe me unlike the store bought pizzas this doesn’t get soggy. 

Ready for the recipe? let’s go:

Ingredients for the Pizza Dough:

• Warm water – ½ cup
• Active Dry Yeast - 2 teaspoons 
• All-Purpose Flour - 2 cups 
• Salt - 1 teaspoon 
• Olive Oil - 3 tablespoons 

Ingredients for the Pizza:

• Semolina - 1 tablespoon 
• Extra-Virgin Olive Oil - 6 teaspoons 
• Mozzarella - 1 1/3 cups, grated (double the quantity if not using Parmesan)
• Tomatoes - 2 Roma, cut crosswise into ¼ inch-thick slices (or any other tomatoes you may have, I used Grape Tomatoes)
• Paneer - about 2 cups 
• Basil leaves – 6-10 fresh, plus extra for garnish (optional)
• Salt – about ¼ teaspoon 
• Parmesan – ½ cup, grated
• Garlic – about ¼ teaspoon, grated or powder (optional) 
• Red pepper flakes – ½ teaspoon
• Tandoori masala – 2 teaspoons
• Garam masala – a pinch

Others: 

• Whisk
• Baking sheet
• Aluminum Foil
• Plastic wrap

Directions to make the Pizza Dough:

Before doing anything else, knead the Pizza dough. Believe me this will help you save a lot of time later when you are hungry and craving for a hot pizza. 

• Start by mixing the warm water and Yeast in a small bowl.  Blend using a whisk, cover with a kitchen towel and let it stand until the yeast dissolves, about 5 minutes. 

Tip: The water should not be too hot or cold, it should feel lukewarm on the inner side of your wrist.

• Mix the All-Purpose Flour and Salt in a food processor/ stand mixer to blend or just use your fingers to mix it evenly.
• Blend in the Olive Oil. 
• With the machine running, add the Yeast mixture and blend just until the dough forms. If it is not coming together add half a teaspoon of warm water in it (at a time) and continue to knead. Be very careful while adding water or it will turn sticky and unmanageable.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface (use the kitchen counter for this step) and knead until smooth, about 1 minute. 
• Transfer the dough to a large oiled bowl and turn the dough to coat with the oil. 
• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm draft-free area until the dough doubles in volume, about 1 hour. 
• Punch down the dough and divide into 2 equal balls.

Tip: You can use the dough immediately. If, however, you are planning to bake after some time then transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate. It will be good for a day.

Directions to bake the Pizza:

• Position the oven rack on the bottom of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees F. 
• Roll out each piece of Pizza Dough into a 10 to 11-inch-diameter round. You may choose to keep the sides thin or thick as per your crust preferences.

Tips: 

• Use a wide clean space for this step, we used the kitchen counter. 
• Use a rolling pin or your fingers to press down/ roll the dough.

• Sprinkle the Semolina over 2 pieces of aluminum foil sheets. The sheets should be bigger than the pizza dough.
• Transfer 1 dough to each prepared sheet.
• Drizzle 2 teaspoons of Olive Oil over each Pizza Dough. 

• Mix all the spices (Red pepper flakes, Tandoori masala, Salt and Garam masala) with the grated 1 and 1/3 cups of Mozzarella.
• Sprinkle the above Mozzarella mix over the Pizza Dough, dividing equaling between the two and leaving a 1-inch border around each pizza. 
• Arrange the Paneer and Tomato slices in a single layer over the cheese.

• Sprinkle the remaining Mozzarella over it (or Parmesan if you like). 
• Arrange Basil leaves on top, drizzle with 1 teaspoon of Olive Oil (over the leaves) and sprinkle Garlic all over. 

• Bake the pizzas until the crusts are crisp and brown on the bottom and the cheese is melted on top, about 15-20 minutes. 

• Sprinkle some more Basil leaves as a garnish. 
• Cut the pizza into wedges and serve immediately.

Don’t forget to share and enjoy!

Recommended Reading:

• Debarshi’s Amuse Bouche
• Keto Pizza with Shrimp and Basil Pesto
• Chanar Dalna (Bengali recipe: Fresh Cheese and Potato Curry)
• Tandoori Masala
• Paneer Bhurji (Crumbled Fresh Cheese with sautéed Onions)
• Homemade Puff Pastry Dough
• Mamma’s Matar Paneer (Peas and Indian Cottage Cheese in a tomato gravy)
• Shahi Paneer (Indian Cottage Cheese in a creamy gravy)
• Easy Air Fryer Paneer Tikka