Vaani Kapoor Relishes A Thin Crust Pizza

There’s no other word that spells satiation better than P-I-Z-Z-A. This cheesy delight is an instant mood uplifter. Pizza is the comfort meal for everyone, no matter the situation. Treating your squad on your birthday? Take them to a pizza parlour. Getting over a messy breakup? Indulge in some pepperoni pizza. Looking to surprise your girl friend, while on a budget? Take her to dine at a new pizzeria. No matter the occasion, pizza makes every celebration a  tad better. It is not just you and me who swear by a slice of pizza to soothe their woes. Celebrities too like to treat themselves to a slice or two of this Italian treat, from time to time. 

Recently, actress Vaani Kapoor shared a photo of a thin crust pizza to her Instagram story. The pizza had many toppings including mushrooms, cheese, and basil leaves. The pizza was cut up in eight big slices and looked like Vaani would’ve been sharing it with a friend. Vaani captioned the photo, “In crust, I trust.” Vaani’s love for pizza is amply evident from her social media profile too. The actress has an entire highlight on her profile dedicated to food. Some other dishes that the actress seems to enjoy include croissants, pasta, fries, desserts such as pancakes, cakes, pastries etc. 

The crust of Vaani’s pizza was thin and looked healthy and appetising. When you’re watching your weight, it becomes very difficult to treat yourself to a sinful bite of a cheesy pizza. However, every problem has a solution, and the solution to this one lies with Chef Sanjeev Kapoor who has given a recipe for a healthy pizza using whole wheat flour rather than maida as the pizza base. Would you want to try it out? 

Healthy Pizza Recipe 

Ingredients: 

For base:

1. Whole wheat flour (atta) 1 1/2 cups
2. Tomatoes cut into thick strips 2 medium
3. Soya flour 2 tablespoons
4. Active dry yeast 1 1/2 teaspoons
5. Sugar 1 teaspoon
6. Salt 1 teaspoon
7. Olive oil 1 tablespoon
8. Wheat bran 2 tablespoons

For Sauce:

1. Olive oil 2 tablespoons
2. Onion chopped 1 small
3. Garlic chopped 4-5 cloves
4. Tomatoes finely chopped 4 medium
5. Fresh basil leaves torn a few
6. Salt to taste
7. Whole dry red chillies crushed 1 teaspoon

For topping: 

1. Onion sliced 1 medium
2. Button mushrooms sliced 10-12
3. Green capsicum cut into thick strips 1 medium
4. Low fat Mozzarella cheese grated 1/2 cup
5. Olive oil 1 teaspoon
6. Dry oregano 1/4 teaspoon

Method: 

1. Mix yeast with sugar and one teaspoon warm water and set aside until frothy. Add frothy yeast to a mixture of whole wheat flour and soy flour. Add salt, olive oil and wheat bran.
2. Add water and knead into a soft dough. Leave the dough covered with a damp cloth in a warm place for about forty five minutes or until dough is about double in volume.
3. Divide pizza dough into four, roll out each portion into medium thick eight-inch discs. Prick with a fork all over. Preheat oven to 220°C.
4. For sauce, heat olive oil in a pan, add chopped onion and garlic, stir-fry briefly and add chopped tomatoes.
5. Add one cup of water and bring it to a boil. Stir in basil leaves, salt and crushed dried red chillies. Simmer for about five minutes on medium heat or till it reaches a thick dropping consistency.
6. Spread prepared pizza sauce on rolled pizza base, top it with sliced onion, sliced mushrooms, tomato and green capsicum strips.
7. Finally sprinkle grated low-fat mozzarella cheese to evenly cover the pizza top. Brush with olive oil.
8. Place it on greased ovenproof tray and bake in the preheated oven at 220°C for about twenty minutes or until the pizza base is crisp and the cheese melts and starts bubbling.
9. Remove from oven, sprinkle with dried oregano, cut into six or eight pieces and serve hot.