Oven: 475 (thin)
1 can whole peeled tomatoes or 1 can puree 1 can tomato paste 1/2 tsp basil 1 tsp oregano 1 tbsp olive oil 1 clove crushed garlic 3 tbsp basalmic vinegar 1 packet ready-made pizza crust mix or crust below
Yes, you too can make a “home-made” pizza in slightly more time than it takes to make a frozen pizza. Hey, if you are going to suck down that much sodium and fat anyway it ought to taste good right? This beats the heck out of frozen pizza. Further perfection of this technique has been forced by the complete failure of anyone in Singapore in the 1990s to produce a decent, readily available pizza.
Turn on the oven. Drain the tomatoes into a bowl, keeping the tomatoes in the can. Chop up the tomatoes in the can a little and drain them again. Dump them onto a cutting board and chop them up.
Put a small sauce pan on medium heat and put a tablespoon of olive oil in. Mix up the pizza crust, I recommend gold-medal or something similar. These pizza crust mixes typically mix with hot tap water and have to sit for five to ten minutes. You should spray the bowl you mix it in with an olive-oil cooking spray.
The oil in the pan should be hot now, put the garlic into it. After 30 seconds put the tomatoes into the pan along with the spices. Stir a bit, then add the paste and the juice you drained from the can before, stir and reduce heat. Has it been five minutes? Time to spread the pizza dough.
Here is the time-tested method for spreading the dough; Spray the pan or cookie sheet with the olive-oil cooking spray, then dump the lump of dough into the center without touching it with your hands. Now take a bottle of olive oil and put about a table-spoon of oil in your palm, then rub your hands together to oil them. Press the dough down into the shape and thickness you want, then wash up.
If you are using a thick crust you will need to pre-bake the crust for about five minutes. Do so. Then spread the raw thin crust or pre-baked thick crust with sauce and your toppings. Note that the sauce you just made is enough for two or three pizzas. The left over can be saved and used cold next time.
Variation: I have taken to cooking my toppings with the sauce. This saves me time later because I usually make the sauce for three pizzas at a time and save the rest in the fridge. Simply chop up your toppings and include it in the sauce when you cook it. Pepperoni is great this way, just chop it up and throw it in, I also find that the pre-cooking greatly improves any vegetable toppings.
Warning: If your toppings are in your sauce (or you have no toppings) your cheese is going to cook too fast. You will need to compensate by starting the pizza without the cheese on it, add it after ten minutes of baking.