Pita Pizzas with Salami and Mozzarella - a recipe by Afoona with homemade tomato paste and homemade pita bread

👨‍🍳 Method

For the homemade tomato paste ✓ Homemade · or skip – back to store-bought

1. 1
   Wash the tomatoes, remove the cores and quarter each tomato.

   KnifeCutting board
2. 2
   Put the tomatoes, the salt and half of the olive oil in a wide pot, cover and cook over medium heat about 20 minutes, until the tomatoes soften and release their liquid.

   StoveWide, shallow pot
3. 3
   Pass the tomatoes and their liquid through a food mill or sieve and return the purée to the pot: the skins and seeds stay behind.

   Food millorFine sieve
4. 4
   Cook uncovered about an hour at a lively simmer, stirring now and then, until the purée reduces by half.

   StoveWooden spoon

   💡The paste burns easily as it dries: stir and scrape the bottom and edges, and once it is thick, don't walk away.
5. 5
   Preheat the oven to 110°C (230°F).

   Oven

   💡Put things in the oven only once it's reached temperature, after the heating light has gone off: an oven that hasn't reached temperature changes baking times, and the bake burns outside or stays underbaked.
6. 6
   Grease a wide baking dish with the rest of the olive oil and pour in the purée in a thin layer. Dry in the oven about 3 hours, stirring and scraping the edges every 30 minutes, until the paste is thick, sticky and brick red.

   OvenBaking sheetSilicone spatula
7. 7
   Let the paste cool.

   Jar

For the homemade pita bread ✓ Homemade · or skip – back to store-bought

1. 8
   Mix the flour, yeast, sugar and salt in a large bowl.

   Bowl
2. 9
   Add the lukewarm water and olive oil and Knead about 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth, pliable and doesn't stick to your hands.

   BowlStand mixer

   💡For yeast dough, use the windowpane test: a small piece stretches into a thin, translucent sheet without tearing, and that's the sign the kneading is done. Add flour only by the tablespoon, and only if the dough is still sticky after a few minutes: too much flour makes a tough dough.
3. 10
   Cover and Let rise about an hour in a warm place, until the dough doubles in size.

   Plastic wraporKitchen towel

   💡Let rise in a warm, draft-free spot. The dough is ready when it has doubled, and a gentle finger press leaves a dent that fills back slowly; if it springs right back, wait longer.
4. 11
   Preheat the oven to 250°C (480°F), with an upside-down baking sheet inside, for at least half an hour.

   Oven
5. 12
   Divide the dough into 10 balls and roll each ball into a circle about ½ cm thick.

   Rolling pin

   💡Don't roll too thin: in a round half a centimeter thick or more, the steam in the dough puffs it into a pocket; a round that's too thin dries into a cracker.

   💡Dough that springs back needs rest: cover the balls for 10 minutes and the gluten relaxes.
6. 13
   Cover the rounds with a towel and let rest 15 minutes.

   Kitchen towel
7. 14
   Bake on the hot baking sheet, 3–4 pitas at a time, 3–5 minutes, until the pitas puff into a pocket and take on a little color.

   OvenBaking sheet

   💡Full heat and a scorching-hot baking sheet are what make the pocket: in an oven that isn't hot enough, the pita bakes flat.

   💡Check by the cue (until…), not just the clock: every oven bakes a little differently.
8. 15
   Wrap immediately in a towel, so the pitas stay soft.

   Kitchen towel

For the Tomato sauce

1. 16
   In a bowl, mix the tomato paste and black pepper with the salt. Don't cook it: the sauce cooks on the pizza in the oven.

   Bowl

To assemble

1. 17
   Preheat the oven to 220°C (430°F).

   Oven
2. 18
   Spread the sauce over each pita and arrange the pitas on a baking sheet.

   Baking pan

   💡Spread a thin layer of sauce: pita soaks up liquid fast, and too much sauce makes it soft instead of crisp.
3. 19
   Scatter the mozzarella, salami and oregano over the top.
4. 20
   Drizzle the olive oil over the top.
5. 21
   Bake 10–12 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling and the edges of the pita are crisp.

   OvenBaking pan