This Muslim Girl Bakes: French Fries Pizza.

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu!

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Sometimes, only the simplest food will do.

And when it comes to pizza, nothing is simpler than a classic cheese pizza.
Recently, it felt like we had put everything onto a pizza. On this blog, so far we've put peri peri chicken on to our pizza not to mention smoky chicken tikka and spicy Korean BBQ.

But when I first tried French fries pizza a while back, I was struck by how simple it was. And, how good a cheese pizza could taste on its own. A no-fuss base, lightly-flavoured sauce and a blend of two cheeses. I like Cheddar for the flavour and Mozzarella for its wonderful melting abilities.

And, that's just what this pizza is. A simple cheese pizza. With fries on top! I know! It sounds crazy. But how many times have you had pizza and chips? So, why not put the two together? I promise it's really good.

If you're running really short for time, I'll forgive you for going with the ready-made fries. Otherwise, I'm going to have to insist that you make your own. They're so easy to do, the oven does most of the work and if you make extra, no one will notice that you've been snacking on them.

Vegetarian Pizza, previously: my favourite veggie pizza // sweet and spicy pepper pizza // easy focaccia pizza // pizza margherita

A Simple List of Ingredients:

For the Pizza Dough:

1. Warm Water
2. Dried Yeast
3. Plain Flour
4. Salt
5. Sugar
6. Olive Oil

For the Cheddar French Fries:

1. Potatoes
2. Olive Oil
3. Salt and Pepper
4. Cheddar

For the Pizza Sauce:

1. Passata
2. Garlic
3. Dried Oregano
4. Red Chilli Flakes
5. Salt and Pepper
6. Balsamic Vinegar

For the Pizza Toppings:

1. Cheddar
2. Grated Mozzarella
3. Fresh Parsley

Bismillah, let's begin!

We start by making the pizza dough. I'm using the recipe and summery photos from my peri peri chicken pizza. Into a jug, place 145ml Warm Water.

Add in 1 teaspoon Dried Yeast. Make sure that your yeast is not out of date!

Give the two a quick stir.

Cover the jug with clingfilm and set aside for 10 minutes.

I used a stand mixer with a dough hook to make my pizza dough. You can also make the dough by hand or use an electric hand mixer which sometimes come with dough hooks.

Anyway, place 260g Plain Flour into the bowl.

Add in 1/2 teaspoon Salt.

And, 1/2 teaspoon Sugar.

Finally, pour in 1 tablespoon Olive Oil.

Mix in until combined.

By now, the yeast mixture should be foamy.

Gradually add a little of the yeast water at a time.

Mix until a rough ball forms. You may not need all the water.

Then, knead the dough for a few minutes until smooth.

Put the dough into a lightly oiled bowl. Brush the top of the dough with oil to stop a crust forming. Cover with clingfilm and put in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size.

While the dough rises, let's bake our Cheddar French fries. Heat the oven to 220C. You can use ready-made fries if you want, but I highly recommend making them fresh. So, take 2 Potatoes. Give them a wash then dry with paper towels.

Slice into rounds.

And then, into French fries. You can make them as thick or thin as you like - just as long as they are roughly the same size so that they can cook at the same time.

Put the potatoes on a greased and lined baking tray in a single layer.

Drizzle with a few tablespoons of Olive Oil.

Sprinkle with Salt and Pepper, to taste. And, toss well. Bake at 220C for 15-20 minutes.

After the 15-20 minutes ...

... grab a spatula. I like to use a spatula here because the potatoes will still be pretty soft and the spatula will help not to break them.

Give them a gentle toss.

Then, bake again at 220C for another 10 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.

Finely grate 15g Cheddar.

And, sprinkle over the hot fries.

Toss and set aside until needed.

Next, let's make the simple pizza sauce. Place 125ml Passata into a bowl. You can also use the same amount of chopped tinned tomatoes.

Throw in 1 Garlic Clove, peeled and finely chopped.

1 teaspoon Dried Oregano

1/4 teaspoon Red Chilli Flakes - more, if you want things extra spicy.

Add Salt and Pepper, to taste.

And, 1 teaspoon Balsamic Vinegar.

A quick stir and the sauce is done!

Set aside until needed.

By now, the hour should be up and the dough should have just about doubled in size.

Uncover and give the dough a quick knead by hand.

To bake the pizza, get the oven on to 220C. Lightly grease a 13 inch (34cm) round pizza tray.

Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface to fit the pizza tray. It doesn't have to be perfect.

Evenly spread the pizza sauce onto the base.

Then, it's time for the cheese. I like to use equal parts of Cheddar and Mozzarella. Cheddar for flavour and Mozzarella for its gooeyness!

Take 125g Grated Mozzarella and 125g Cheddar, grated. You can use more or less, as you like.

Mix the two cheeses together.

And, sprinkle evenly over the base.

You can add any other toppings you like but I love the simplicity of a cheese pizza.

Bake the pizza at 220C for 10-15 minutes until the cheese has melted and the base is golden brown. Rotate your pizza too if you want it golden all over.

Then, grab your Cheddar French fries.

Scatter on the French fries and finely grate on a little more Cheddar. If your fries have gone cold, pop the pizza back into the hot oven for a few minutes.

Serve immediately with your favourite cold drink on ice!

French Fries Pizza.

Prep and Rising Time: About 1 and 1/2 hours.

Bake Time: About 10-15 minutes.

Serves: Cuts into 8 slices.

Ingredients

For the Pizza Dough

145ml Warm Water

1 teaspoon Dried Yeast

260g Plain Flour

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1/2 teaspoon Sugar

1 tablespoon Olive Oil

For the Cheddar French Fries

2 Potatoes, unpeeled and sliced into fries

Few tablespoons Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper, to taste

15g Cheddar, finely grated

For the Pizza Sauce

125ml Passata

1 Garlic Clove, peeled and finely chopped

1 teaspoon Dried Oregano

1/4 teaspoon Red Chilli Flakes

Salt and Pepper, to taste

1 teaspoon Balsamic Vinegar

For the Pizza Toppings:

125g Cheddar, grated

125g Grated Mozzarella

Fresh Parsley, to taste

Make the pizza dough:
Stir together the warm water and dried yeast. Cover with clingfilm and set aside for 10 minutes until foamy. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, stir together the plain flour, salt, sugar and olive oil. Gradually pour in the yeast water and knead the mixture until a rough dough ball forms. You may not need all the water. Knead the dough for a few minutes until smooth.

Lightly grease a large bowl with olive oil and put in the dough. Lightly brush the top of the dough with olive oil to stop a crust forming. Cover with clingfilm and put in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size.

Bake the French fries:
Heat the oven to 220C. Wash and dry the potatoes. Slice into French fries and put onto a greased and lined baking tray in a single layer. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss and bake for 15-20 minutes.

Then, gently flip the fries. I like to use a rubber spatula to do this. Bake again for 10 minutes until golden brown and crispy then toss with the finely grated Cheddar. Set aside until needed.

Make the pizza sauce:
Mix together all the ingredients in a bowl.

Bake the pizza:
Heat the oven to 220C. Lightly grease a 13 inch (34cm) round pizza tray with olive oil. Knead the risen pizza dough for a minute then roll on a lightly floured surface to fit the pizza tray. Place the dough onto the tray then spread with the pizza sauce.

Mix the grated Cheddar and grated Mozzarella together and sprinkle evenly over the base. Bake at 220C for 10-15 minutes until the cheese has melted and the pizza base is golden brown.

Time to serve:
Put the fries onto the baked pizza. If they've gone a little cold, put the pizza back into the hot oven for 2 minutes. Sprinkle on the parsley, slice and serve immediately.

Recipe Notes

I used a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment to make my pizza dough. You can just as easily use an electric hand mixer or make it by hand.
You can add any other pizza toppings you want.

{adapted from half baked harvest}

Your Photos: