DIY Pizza Cups

⏱ 25 mins 🍽 Serves 12 🏷 Starters

Create these inventive pizza cups as a playful starter. The recipe involves making a simple tomato sauce from scratch and a kneaded bread dough. The dough is wrapped around foil-lined ice cream cones to form edible cups, which are then baked, filled with classic pizza toppings like mozzarella and basil, and baked again until golden. It yields 12 servings with a total preparation and cooking time of 25 minutes.

DIY Pizza Cups

Ingredients

  • For the pizza sauce:
  • 1 tin good-quality plum tomatoes
  • 1 red chilli
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp sugar
  • Black pepper, to taste
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • For the dough:
  • 500g strong white bread flour
  • 7g fast-action dried yeast
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 290ml warm water
  • For the toppings:
  • Grated mozzarella cheese (not the kind that comes in water)
  • Fresh basil leaves
  • Olives
  • Red onions, sliced
  • Any other pizza toppings that take your fancy
  • You will also need:
  • 12-14 flat-bottomed wafer ice cream cones
  • Aluminium foil
  • Spray oil
  • Cupcake tin

Method

  1. To prepare the sauce, combine all listed ingredients in a blender. Transfer the mixture to a small pan and let it simmer gently for 20 minutes. Set it aside to cool.
  2. Take 10 flat-bottomed ice cream cones and wrap each one in aluminium foil. Give them a thorough coating with spray oil.
  3. Mix the fast-action dried yeast into the 290ml of warm water. Leave this to stand for 5 minutes.
  4. Put the 500g of strong white bread flour and 2 tsp salt into a large mixing bowl. Create a hollow in the centre and pour in the 4 tbsp olive oil along with the yeast and water mixture. Stir to combine into a dough, then knead it for 10 minutes until it becomes smooth and elastic.
  5. Transfer the kneaded dough to a large bowl that has been oiled. Cover the bowl and leave it in a warm spot until it has roughly doubled in size, which should take about an hour.
  6. Turn on your oven and set it to heat to 200°C.
  7. Punch down the risen dough to deflate it and knead for a further minute to remove air pockets. Split it into 3 equal portions. Roll each piece out on a floured surface until it is as thick as a £1 coin. Use a pizza cutter to divide each rolled piece into 4 equal sections.
  8. Carefully wrap each section of dough around the prepared, oiled cones. Trim any extra dough, ensuring the wrap is sealed without gaps to prevent the sauce from leaking. Smooth over any small holes you may find.
  9. Arrange the cones with their open ends facing down on a baking tray lined with parchment. Bake them for 12-14 minutes, or until they take on a light golden colour.
  10. Let the baked cones cool for about 5 minutes. They should still be warm but manageable to touch.
  11. Place a tablespoon of grated mozzarella cheese in the bottom of each cup. Then layer in your chosen toppings, such as the sauce, sliced red onions, olives, and basil. Be careful not to add too much sauce near the base. Finish with an extra sprinkle of cheese on top.
  12. Position each filled cup upright in the hollows of a cupcake tin. Return them to the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes, until the cheese topping is melted and golden.

Nutrition (per serving)

Nutrition data not available.

Recipe details

CategoryStarters
AuthorFood Network UK