Blue Cheese and Caramelised Red Onion Pizza with a Bechamel Sauce

I’ve always been very intimidated about making home-made pizza. The first time I made it, many years ago, it was burnt and soggy at the same time. How I managed that I’ll never know, but tonight I decided to bite the bullet and give it another go and I’m glad I did because this is not your average pizza.

Blue Cheese and Caramelised Red Onion Pizza with a Bechamel Sauce: (Phew, that was a mouthful).

• Pizza dough
• 1 cup caramelised red onions
• Bechamel sauce
• 150g blue cheese
• 2 tomatoes

Preheat oven to 250 degrees Celsius. Roll out the pizza dough until you are happy with the thickness and diameter, spread a thin layer of Bechamel Sauce leaving enough room for a crust. Place tomato, caramelised red onions and blue cheese on the pizza. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the crust is golden-brown.

Pizza Dough

• 3 3/4 cups plain flour
• 1  tablespoon salt
• 1 1/3 cups warm water
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 package yeast
• 3 tablespoons olive oil

optional:

• 1 tablespoon rosemary
• 1 tablespoon thyme

In a large bowl whisk the flour and salt together. Make a well and add the water, sugar and yeast. When the yeast is foamy, mix in the olive oil and knead until smooth, 3-5 minutes. If you chose to use herbs they can be added to the mixture now. Brush the dough and insides of a bowl with olive oil, place the dough in the bowl and cover with a tea towel. Leave it covered for an hour and a half, or until it has doubled in size. Once risen, divide the dough into two equal parts (for a large family sized pizza) or 4 smaller equal pieces.

Bechamel Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons plain flour
• 1 cup milk
• salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste

In a small saucepan melt the butter, whisk in the flour and cook for 2-3 minutes. Slowly incorporate the milk, whisking as you go. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Remove from the heat once it has thickened to your liking.

Caramelised Red Onions:

• 2 large red onions
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar

Heat a medium skillet with olive oil and saute the red onions until they have caramelised, sprinkle with brown sugar to speed up the process. Be careful with the sugar though, if you’re not measuring exact amounts add less than what you think you will need or they will be far too sweet.