Recipe video above. Topped with artichokes, ham, olives and mushrooms with a tomato pizza sauce, this is a pizza that's almost uniquely Australian that we are VERY fond of! Though you can find it in some parts of Italy, you won't see it in many other places around the world.I just love the combination - and that you can be generous with the toppings without overwhelming the pizza. Cook times:Classic yeast pizza dough - 5 to 6 hrs dough rising (total) | 10 min prep | 10 min cookNo-yeast pizza dough - 0 min dough rising | 10 min prep | 10 min oil steeping | 10 min cookStore bought pizza dough - 5 min prep | 10 min prep | 10 min cook** To make more than one pizza (who ever makes just one??!) slide the servings scaler **
Preheat oven to 250°C / 480°F (both fan and standard). Allow time to get it nice and hot!!
Pizza sauce - Mix the ingredients in a small bowl then set aside.
Pizza base - Make and stretch out your chosen pizza base (no rolling pin!), stretch onto a pizza pan or baking tray per the directions in your chosen pizza base. (Note 4 for pizza stone)
Top - Spread the pizza sauce on the pizza, leaving a 1 cm/1/2" border along the edge. Sprinkle with cheese first, then drape the ham randomly across the surface, sprinkle with olives, artichoke slices and mushrooms. (If using the no-yeast pizza base, spray/brush exposed crust with olive oil.)
Bake for 10 - 12 minutes, turning after 4 minutes, or until the the cheese has golden spots and the crust is crispy. Cut and eat, stat!
Notes
1. Pizza base choices -
Classic pizza dough (yeast) - 5 min hand knead or stand-mix or 40 second food processor, plus 4 to 6 hours rising time (across 2 rises)
No yeast pizza dough - This is excellent, not a sad substitute for yeast pizza. 40 seconds in food processor, or hand knead. NO RISE TIME.
Store bought - anything of your choice, un-cooked or par-cooked (else it will burn before cheese melts)
2. Cheese notes - Freshly shredded melts / spreads better because pre-shredded in packets are coated with anti-clumping agents and often thicker pieces. If using cups for measuring, shred first then pack it into the cup very tightly else you'll be short - so sad. I cut hunks of cheese, weigh, then grate.3. Artichokes marinated in oil are tastiest, followed by vinegary marinades. Plain frozen or fresh artichokes will lack flavour.4. Ham - Try to get finely shaved ham if you can, which is a standard ham-slicing option at Australian delis. Better coverage without weighing down pizza too much. But definitely not the end of the world if you only have standard slices - suggest chopping it into pieces and sprinkling.5. Pizza stone - Preheat the pizza stone until very hot. Assemble your pizza on a pizza paddle or inverted baking tray sprinkled with semolina (so pizza doesn't stick). Slide the pizza onto the hot pizza stone with a flick, in one swift motion, remembering that you can't move the pizza once the dough makes contact with the stone! Bake for around 8 minutes.Nutrition is for the whole pizza.