Homemade pizza topped with onions, green peppers & black olives

Pizza in Japan is as popular as sushi. One catch is that you have to get used to the toppings such as squid, corn, or tuna. I think the most offensive topping is mayonnaise.

We can all thank Ernie Higa for introducing Domino's to Japan and making pizza history. Cheese wasn't popular in Japan but for some reason when combined with tomato sauce and a baked crust the whole combination took off and opened whole new junk food & business opportunities.

1. In a bowl, sift the flour, salt and sugar then add the cornmeal & yeast. Add the water. Mix with a bench scraper and spread on a flat surface.
2. Knead the bread for about 10 - 15 minutes until soft. Add a little more water if not soft enough. Roll into a ball and cover with a bowl on your kneading board for about 10 minutes. 
3. Uncover and knead in the butter. You can use the bench scraper to 'cut' the butter into the dough and then knead until well incorporated. Dough should be soft but not sticky. Cover again with a bowl and let sit for 10 minutes on the kneading board
4. Uncover and form into a nice ball and put in a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 60 minutes.
5. Remove from the bowl and flatten to remove the air. Roll into a ball and cover with plastic on the kneading board - let sit for 20 minutes (bench time). After 20 minutes you can either roll out the dough or put into the refrigerator for later use.
6. Roll out the dough & spread on a pizza pan. Cover with tomato paste, mozzarella cheese, toppings such as sliced onions, peppers, black olives, etc. and finish with more cheese.
7. Bake at 190 degrees Celsius for about 45 minutes depending on the size of your pan. 

Spread the dough neatly in the pan

Onions, green peppers, black olives & cheese for topping