I still vaguely remember the first time my mother made her first homemade pizza. She didn’t look up a recipe in a book, “nor surfed the Internet”. As always, she relied on her intuition and creativity, and she was brilliant at improvising in her kitchen.
The dough shouldn’t have caused any problems in the land of Man’oushe and Sfiha. As Pizza became popular in Lebanese homes in the 70s, mothers were very happy to surprise their children with an Italian “Man’oushe’. And they were even happier to be able to buy the dough at the bakery around the corner.
My mom, however, loved doing everything from scratch. She made her own dough and whipped her own delicious tomato sauce but never wrote a recipe. Years later I was able to create my own Pizza relying on my well-trained taste buds and on my memories of her cooking skills.
Pizza is a tasty experience. The topping can be cheese only, or a combination of veggies, hams and fish. The topping ingredients in the recipe below are enough for two large trays. The tomato sauce can also be prepared cold without cooking.
Dough with spelt Flour
I am sharing with my new recipe of dough using spelt flour. Adapted to my original recipe of Man’oushe in my Cookbook, The Taste of Marjeyoun, this version is more rustic and healthier.
Why spelt? Popular in German homes and bakeries, spelt is an ancient cereal grain in the wheat family with a distinctive nutty and slightly sweet flavour. It is also an ideal alternative to wheat if you are allergic to the latter, more digestible, higher in protein and has fewer calories. Its protein complex though is different than wheat containing more Gliadin than glutenin. Gliadin gives the dough its stretchiness; glutenin makes it more elastic and gives it more shape. So don’t be surprised when your dough spreads more than it usually does with wheat flour.
Types of Spelt
There are many types of Spelt in Germany. Starting with the whole grain, then type 1050, 812 and 630. The number indicates that the flour contains higher shells and mineral share from the whole grain. Type 630 is the closest to all-purpose flour as white flour, meaning that you can substitute wheat flour with white spelt almost in a 1:1 ratio; you only need to reduce the amount of liquids by a very little amount!
For inspiration watch this reel
Pizza
Ingredients
For the dough
- 250 g whole grain spelt
- 200 g spelt Type 1050
- 2 teaspoons rapid rise yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 45 ml olive oil
- 300 ml lukewarm water
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
For the tomato sauce
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 6 small garlic cloves sliced
- 500 ml tomato sauce
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
For the topping
- 200 g ham cut in cubes
- 50 g salami cut in cubes
- 1 red pepper rinsed and sliced
- 300 g champignons cleaned and sliced
- Pickled pepper optional
- 400 g Emmental cheese grated
- Green or black olives
Instructions
- For the dough: Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add olive oil and water and mix well until the dough gathers into a ball. Knead for about 5 minutes until it becomes smooth and pliable. Lightly oil the bowl with the one spoon olive oil and turn the round dough over to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest in a warm place for at least 2 hours.
- For the sauce: In a medium saucepan heat the oil over medium heat and sauté the onions and garlic for 3-5 minutes. Add the tomato sauce, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Mix in the oregano and cook for 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Divide the dough in two equal parts. Roll out half of the dough on a lightly floured surface to 2 mm thickness. Carefully transfer onto the prepared sheet. Spread with half of the tomato sauce. Cover with half of the topping’s ingredients.
- Preheat oven (220°C, 425°F). Bake for about 20 minutes.
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