Over the past couple of days Summer has asserted itself with a vengeance. Temperatures above 30C, blisteringly hot sunshine and clear blue skies. I love Summer and sunshine, but even this has been a little too hot for me. Cooking becomes a chore, rather than its usual relaxing pleasure. So you can imagine how relieved I was to be able to prepare a meal in under 10 minutes. Grabbing a packet of Wright’s Baking cheddar and sun dried tomato bread mix, I came up with this easy Sun Dried Tomato Bread Pizza.
Also I have a recipe for Sun Dried Tomato Bread, which I’m sure would work just as well. However, I needed an easy, quick prep meal. So thank you Wright’s Baking for yet again coming to my rescue.
Pizza – So Much More Than The Toppings
The beauty of using the sun dried tomato bread mix, is that while it is mixing, in the stand mixer, I can make my Crunchy Homemade Coleslaw. I always keep lemons in the kitchen and I love the way they not only thin the mayonnaise, but also remove the acrid taste from the onions in this coleslaw, which is, in my opinion one of the best accompaniments to homemade pizza.
What’s great about making your own pizza, is that you can top it with whatever you like. I had an antipasto meat selection in the fridge that went beautifully with the delicious sun dried tomato base. In fact as well as lemons I generally have mozerella and at least one packet of cured meat in the fridge. Pizza makes a quick, delicious and nutritious meal, providing it is served with a healthy pile of salad of coleslaw!
It’s All About The Base
I have to mention just how completely delicious the base of this Sun Dried Tomato Bread Pizza is. The crust doesn’t turn jaw breakingly hard, but remains slightly soft with a delicious salty parmesan and herb tomato flavour all of its own. I wouldn’t recommend overloading this pizza with topping as the base is just as delicious, if not more so, than what you top it with.
Make this Sun Dried Tomato Bread Pizza with toppings that will work with the tasty bread base. In fact this pizza would be wonderful with a little sauce, mozerella and some basil leaves. The sun dried tomato bread base really is that good.
Recipe: Makes 2 Large Sun Dried Tomato Bread Pizza – makes 20 slices
1 Packet Cheddar and Sun Dried Tomato Bread Mix by Wright’s Baking – alternatively use my Sun Dried Tomato Bread recipe – although I would recommend adding 1/2tsp of dried oregano to the flour
4tbsp Tomato Purée
2tbsp Olive Oil plus a little extra for greasing the baking trays – I use Filippo Berio
400g Block of Mozzerella
Selection of cured meats for topping
2 handfuls fresh basil leaves
Method:
Making The Pizza Dough
- Make the Cheddar and Sun Dried Tomato Bread Mix according to the instructions on the packet.
- TIP – while the bread is mixing make the coleslaw or salad!
- Grease 2 large baking trays with a little olive oil.
- Turn the kneaded bread dough on to one baking tray and divide in half.
- Place one half of the bread dough on each of the oiled baking trays.
- Rub your hands in a little oil and then gently pat the dough until it is flat and fills the baking sheet. Do the same for the other half of the dough.
Adding The Pizza Toppings
- Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of tomato purée to the top of each pizza base.
- Using your hand smoosh the tomato purée and olive oil together so that they cover the pizza base – yes smoosh is a technical term in the Feasting kitchen!
- Slice or tear the mozerella and lay on top of the pizza base.
- Add thin slices of cured meat and scatter a handful of basil leaves over each pizza.
- Cover both pizza’s with cling film, or do as I did on such a hot day, pop them into an unheated oven, uncovered, for 30 minutes. This will give them time to rise.
- Turn the oven heat to 220C/200C fan, gas mark 7, 425F.
Baking The Sun Dried Tomato Bread Pizza
- Remove the cling film and place the pizza’s in the oven, if they are not already in there.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes. The pizzas are cooked when the base is firm underneath. I use a large palette knife to slide under the pizza and lift it. If it’s not quite firm pop it back into the oven for another 5 minutes.
- Once baked remove from the oven.
To serve, remove the pizza from the tray – I slide it on to a board – and cut into slices or triangles.
Sun Dried Tomato Bread Pizza is ideal for feeding a crowd, as part of a buffet, or served with homemade coleslaw for an easy meal.
I really do recommend trying the Wright’s Baking range of bread mixes. Having a couple in the cupboard, even though I make almost all of our bread from scratch, is really handy on hot, busy days!
If you enjoyed this Sun Dried Tomato Bread Pizza you may also like these recipes:
We all need a few quick prep. meals that we can draw on when we either don’t have the time, energy or both to create a nutritious and tasty meal. All of my pizza recipes contain less fat that delivery pizzas. That said, sometimes that really is the only option!
While in a perfect world I would have a freezer full of homemade pasta bakes, casseroles and the like, sometimes it’s nice to have a treat. Homemade pizza always feels like a treat simply because it takes so little effort to make and our children are always ready to help.
As the weather cools and we rediscover the urge to cook and bake again, enjoy it. Have fun in your kitchens creating your own very special feasts.
Since #NationalPizzaWeek is from 5th – 11th January, it simply shows how versatile pizza is. Summer or Winter, any day is a good day to make, bake and share pizza!
Sammie xx
Wright’s Baking sent me the parmesan and sun dried tomato bread mix to try. All opinions, views, content and recipes are my own. Please see my Disclosure Policy.
