Pizza Dough and Pasta Basics for Vegetarian Italian Cooking at Home

Pizza dough and pasta basics are the foundation of vegetarian Italian cooking at home. Once you understand how hydration, resting and a simple sauce work, you can make restaurant-style pizza and pasta with ingredients from any Indian kitchen. Here is a practical guide to both.

Pizza dough basics

A good dough needs only flour, water, yeast, salt and a little oil. In India, maida works well, and bread flour is a bonus if you can find it. Here is a reliable starting recipe for two medium pizzas.

• 250 g maida (or half maida, half bread flour)
• about 150 to 160 ml lukewarm water
• 1 teaspoon instant dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon olive oil or any neutral oil

Understanding dough hydration

Hydration means the weight of water compared with the weight of flour. A dough made with 250 g flour and 160 ml water is about 64 percent hydration, which is a good range for home bakers. A lower hydration dough, around 55 to 60 percent, is easier to handle and gives a firmer, bready base. A higher one, around 65 to 70 percent, is stickier but gives an airier, more open crumb. Start near 60 to 64 percent, and increase only as your handling improves.

Mixing, kneading and resting

1. Mix yeast, sugar and lukewarm water and wait 5 to 10 minutes until foamy. If your yeast is instant, you can also mix it into the flour directly.
2. Add flour, salt and oil, and mix to a shaggy dough.
3. Knead for 8 to 10 minutes by hand until smooth and elastic. It should pass the windowpane test, where a small piece stretches thin without tearing.
4. Place in an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm spot for 1 to 2 hours until doubled.
5. For better flavour, rest the dough in the fridge for 8 to 24 hours after kneading, and bring it to room temperature before shaping.
6. Shape gently with fingertips, not a rolling pin, so the air bubbles stay in the dough.

Bake as hot as your oven goes, ideally 220 to 250 degrees Celsius, on a preheated tray or tawa, for about 8 to 12 minutes depending on thickness.

A simple pizza sauce

Skip the jarred sauce. Crush ripe tomatoes or use tomato puree, then simmer for 10 minutes with a little olive oil, 2 cloves of garlic, salt, a pinch of sugar and dried oregano or fresh basil. Keep it thick. A watery sauce makes a soggy base. Use a thin layer, then add mozzarella and your choice of vegetables such as capsicum, mushroom, olives, corn and onion.

Pasta cooking basics

• Use plenty of water, about 1 litre for every 100 g of pasta, so the strands do not stick.
• Salt the water generously once it boils. It should taste lightly salty.
• Cook until al dente, meaning firm to the bite, a minute less than the pack suggests if you will finish it in the sauce.
• Do not rinse cooked pasta, as the starch helps the sauce cling.
• Reserve a cup of the starchy cooking water, and add a splash to loosen the sauce.
• Oil in the water is not necessary. Stir during the first minute instead.

Three easy vegetarian pasta sauces

1. Arrabbiata: garlic, dried red chilli and crushed tomatoes simmered with olive oil.
2. Creamy white sauce: butter, flour and milk cooked into a smooth sauce, seasoned with salt, white pepper, a pinch of nutmeg and cheese.
3. Pesto style: basil, garlic, nuts or seeds, hard cheese (check the label for vegetarian rennet) and olive oil blended together, tossed with warm pasta off the heat.

Pair these with sauteed vegetables such as broccoli, zucchini, bell peppers and mushrooms. For something familiar, you could also compare techniques with Indo-Chinese noodles, for example in our veg hakka noodles recipe, where high heat and quick tossing matter just as much.

Common problems and fixes

• Dense pizza base: not enough kneading, not enough rising time, or an oven that is not hot enough.
• Soggy pizza centre: sauce too watery or too many wet toppings. Pre-cook vegetables and drain them.
• Sticky pasta: too little water or no stirring at the start.
• Bland pasta: salt the water and finish cooking in the sauce for a minute.

Explore more world cuisine ideas in our recipe collection and video recipes, where techniques are shown step by step.

Learn Italian cooking in Nadiad

Kneading, shaping and saucing are all much easier with hands-on guidance. Join the Italian cooking class in Nadiad at Purna's Kitchen to practise vegetarian pizza, pasta and more, or see all classes.