Easy Semolina Pizza / Sooji  Pizza

Easy Semolina Pizza/Sooji  Pizza

I never liked semolina/sooji as a kid and detested my Mum’s attempts at giving it to us for breakfast every Monday.  All of us had to literally force ourselves to swallow her uppuma ( a South Indian breakfast dish made with semolina/sooji) before going to school and absolutely refused to take it for lunch.  We preferred to starve!! Until I came across a recipe for bread made from semolina. I was flabbergasted and determined to try it out.  I perfected it and used it as my go to recipe for everything from bread to pizza’s to Naan and whatever caught my fancy.  Easy Semolina Pizza/Sooji  Pizza is one recipe that will capture your taste buds for life.

Three decades later, the coin has turned and we do eat it whole heartedly in the form of pizzas, bread, idlis,  rava dosas and naans.
Semolina flour is a top choice for diabetics as it has low GI (Glycemic Index). Compared to white flour, it is digested and absorbed in the stomach and intestines at a slower rate. This allows people with diabetes to control their blood sugar levels more effectively as rapid fluctuations in levels of blood glucose are prevented. Sooji is also know as suji, rawa or semolina.

Poppy seeds or khus khus, contain good amounts of minerals like calcium, potassium, magnesium and iron and are rich in dietary fibre and essential fatty acids, which play a key role in maintaining overall health. Commonly used to add flavour to breads, cereal or for healthy salad dressing, poppy seeds are known to provide myriad health benefits.

Coconut oil is one of the few foods that can be classified as a “super food.”
Its benefits include weight loss, better brain function, skin health and many more.
I have always been interested in healthy cooking and have been experimenting in my kitchen over the years. This recipe has been tried and tested about fifteen times before I was thoroughly satisfied with it. Hope you all enjoy it as much as my family and I do.

The Recipe For Easy Semolina Pizza/ Pizza

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 Ingredients:

240 gms fine sooji / chiroti rava unroasted ( Make sure you use unroasted semolina/sooji. Most of the recipes I googled did not mention this very important fact. Your bread will be heavy when you use roasted semolina/sooji).

150 ml warm water

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 1/8 tsp dry yeast

½ tsp  pink Himalayan salt

1 tbsp virgin coconut oill

55gm low fat milk powder

1 tbsp khus khus (poppy seeds)

2 cloves garlic, crushed.

Method:

Mix the water, sugar and yeast in a glass bowl and leave to rise – takes about 15 minutes.
Mix the sooji, milk powder, khus khus, crushed garlic and salt in a separate large glass bowl. Add the coconut oil and gently mix. Add the yeast a little by little and mix together using a silicone or wooden spatula until the mixture forms a watery mixture in the centre of the bowl.  Rest 15 to 20 minutes until the Sooji absorbs the water and looks like a sticky  dough. Oil your hands with a little coconut oil and knead the dough for 10 minutes. This step is very crucial as it will determine the quality and texture of your pizza crust. After 10 minutes, place the dough in the glass bowl, cover with cling film and leave to rise in a warm place for one hour or until dough is double in size. Next punch the dough down and with your hands press into 9 inch oiled pizza tray, scatter some khus khus on top if desired and cover with cling film and allow to rise for 1 hour. Using a fork make holes on the top to prevent air bubbles during baking. Bake in a preheated oven ( 10 minutes) at 225 degrees Celcius for 12 minutes until done. Cool and use as desired. Store remaining pizza crust in the refrigerator and steam in a cooker or steamer for 5 minutes before using.

We like it plain (more often than not), warm from the oven with a dollop of butter or drizzle of olive oil.

Nowadays, I use a stand mixer to knead the dough for 5 to 8 minutes. The pizza or bread I make is still a much loved item in our house and at one time we were making it everyday.

NB:  Make sure you use unroasted semolina as the roasted and double roasted semolina does not work.

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