Pizza with olives and pizza with salami and mushrooms

This is really just a follow-up post to my Pizza Quattro Formaggi (http://maciejinthekitchen.blogspot.com/2013/09/pizza-quattro-formaggi.html). I wanted to present a couple of topping options for the same pizza base. As I have mentioned the recipe for the pizza base (as well as the olive and tomato topping given here) come from MypersonaltrainerTv channel on YouTube. Go ahead and give them a try!

The base gives you a nice thin crust that is very versatile and can be used with the toppings of your choice. 

Ingredients:

For the base:

170g/6oz boiled potatoes

300g/10oz and 1Tbsp all purpose flour

100ml/3.5oz warm water

40ml/1.5oz milk (room temperature)

22g/about 1Tbsp fresh yeast

5g/1tsp sugar

5g/tsp fine salt

2Tbsp olive oil

For the top:

Pizza with olives:

150g/5.5oz tomato passata (plain, without spices)
150g/5.5oz mozzarella cheese (from the block not a bag with liquid)
50g/2oz black olives
50g/2oz green olives
100g/3.5oz cherry tomatoes cut in half
oregano

Pizza with salami and mushrooms:

150g/5.5oz tomato passata (plain, without spices)
150g/5.5oz mozzarella cheese (from the block not a bag with liquid)
sliced Italian salami
a couple of button mashrooms cut into slices
oregano

Directions for both types are exactly the same. 

Start with potatoes. Put some water in a small pot and start boiling. In the meantime peel the potatoes (you want 170g peeled, not 170g with the peel on). Cut them in thick slices and put in boiling water. Cook for 10 minutes and drain. Mash them well.While the potatoes are cooling a bit prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Put yeast and sugar in warm water and mix to disolve. 

Put flour in a large bowl, make a small hole in the middle and pour in the yeast mixture, milk, and 1Tbsp olive oil. Mix it a bit with a knife. 

Add warm mashed potatoes, salt and mix with a knife at first and then with your hands. You want to work the dough quickly. It should only take you about 3 minutes, just enough time for all the ingredients to incorporate well. If you knead it too long you will have to keep adding more flour and then the dough will loose it's fluff. 

Cover a large baking sheet (the one that comes with your oven) with baking parchment. Drizzle it with the remaining Tbsp of olive oil. 

Transfer the dough to the baking sheet and push it down in the olive oil. Turn it around once so it's oiled on both sides and start pushing and stretching the dough with your hands from the center to the edges. It will take you just a couple of minutes. Don't worry if the dough doesn't come up exactly to the edges of the baking sheet.

Place the baking sheet in a warm place for 1 hour. You want the temperature to be around 30C (about 85F). The best place in my house for that turned out to be a cupboard with a water heater in my bathroom.

After half an hour you can turn on your oven. Heat up the oven to 250C/480F.

Once the 1 hour is up spread the passata gently over the base and put in the oven for 10 minutes. It's just enough time to prepare the toppings.

Take the base out of the oven, put mozzarella on top and then your selection of toppings. Sprinkle with oregano and put back in the oven for 5 more minutes. Done!

I know that it might seem like not much is being put on the pizza, but trust me, you don't need to overload your pizza for it to taste good.