Hello Fresh: Homemade (Frying) Pan Pizza with Tenderstem Broccoli and Fresh Basil

Here is the review for the 1st recipe I have tried from the Hello Fresh box. It is a homemade pizza topped with broccoli and fresh basil.

Although the recipe looked easy it was not as simple as it looked because it is the first time actually attempting to make a pizza from scratch (dough and all). It was a challenging but fun experience nonetheless (and I think it was a success anyways).

Thankfully, the guidelines are very clear and simple, making it easier to follow.

Ingredients: (for 2 people/ or for 2 meals)

  • 1 Ball Mozzarella 
  • 300g Strong Bread Flour
  • 1 Tsp Yeast 
  • 1/2 cup Tomato sauce 
  • 1 tsp Dry Oregano 
  • 1 Clove Garlic 
  • 1 Tbsp Grated Italian Cheese 
  • Small Bunch Tenderstem Broccoli 
  • A handful Basil Leaves

Recipe Step-by-step :

I. Making The Dough

1.
* Mix the yeast with 200ml of warm water (not hot) and a pinch of sugar if you have.
* Put the flour in a big mixing bowl (a salad bowl is fine) and stir with 1 tsp of salt.
* Make a well in the middle of the flour big enough to hold the yeast mixture.
* Pour the yeast mixture in the whole you made in the flour and add 1 tbsp of olive oil.
2.
* Bring the four in from the sides and mix it with the yeast. You can use your hands in a claw shape or a wooden spoon, you might end up using your hands though, as the dough becomes stickier.
* Do that until you obtain a nice squidgy ball of dough.
3.
* Put flour on a work surface (put enough so the dough won't stick to the table), place the dough on it and knead it for 5 mins. (kneading means stretching your dough)
*Hold down the end of your dough nearest to you with your hand and use the palm of the other hand to push the rest of the dough away from you in a long stretching motion.
4.
* Once the dough is done, leave it in a bowl in a warm place to rest for at least 15min but it is better to let is rest for 1 hour.

II. Making the pizza

5.
* Peel and chop the garlic clove very very finely. (tip: make to cuts horizontally then chop everything vertically)
* Mix the garlic and the Italian herbs into the tomato sauce with a pinch of salt and pepper. (I supposed "Italian herbs" meant the oregano because the basil leaves are used later on, and you can choose to add the amount of garlic you want according to your liking)
* Boil some water in a medium sized pot (for your Tenderstem broccoli)
6.
* Turn your grill to maximum heat
7.
* Divide your dough into 2 balls (or 4 if you have a smaller pan) and roll it out until nice and thin.

Tip: Especially for the first timers like me, you might find that the dough is sticky and hard to work with. What I figured out, is that you have to put more flour on the working surface than put your dough ball on top of it and roll it in the flour. You will find that the dough becomes slicker and easier to roll without having it sticking to your hands. If you don't have a roller like me, you can use your hands and start rolling it until flat, then try to form a disc with the dough. If it's sticky put more flour on it :)
8.
*Put the pizza base in a frying pan and place this on a hob on high heat. (if you have a small pan, you will have to make each dough ball one by one)

9.
* Cook the Tenderstem broccoli in the boiling water for 90 seconds then drain.
* Put a light coating of the mixed prepared tomato sauce on the pizza base.
* Tear on some mozzarella and scatter over some drained broccoli. (I also found it tastier if you sprinkled some grated cheese on it too.)
* Cook for a couple of minutes until the base of the pizza is browned off and crusty.
10.
* Stick the frying pan on the highest shelf nearest the grill to cook until the mozzarella (+cheese) has completely melted and it's all looking crispy.
* Top with fresh basil leaves and a drizzle of olive oil to serve, then repeat for the other pizzas!

Rating [Taste] = 6/10

Conclusion

Although the recipe states that the whole process should take about 30 minutes, the dough making process took much longer for me as I did not have a roller. It is advisable to start doing the dough an hour before putting the fillings on.

In my opinion, this recipe is simple and tasty. For the pizza to be more tasty, in addition to the mozzarella already included (in the box), I would suggest putting extra cheese topping such as gruyere or Parmesan. And instead of using the Tenderstem broccoli that they provided (it had become too dry), I used normal broccoli that I cut into four.
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