Theo’s Zesty Lemon Cream & Mushroom Pizza

For the White Wine Lemon Cream Sauce:

  • 15g butter (divided)
  • 1.5 cloves garlic, minced
  • ½ small shallot, finely chopped
  • 120ml white wine
  • 60ml white wine vinegar
  • 440ml heavy cream
  • Zest of 2 lemons
  • 2.5g salt
  • For the Mushrooms:
  • 2 large brown mushrooms, sliced (about 1cm thick)
  • Olive oil
  • Small knob of butter
  • Sprig of thyme
  • For the Potatoes:
  • 1–2 small potatoes, very thinly sliced (use a mandolin if possible)
  • Bowl of cold water
  • For the Pizza:
  • Pizza dough (store-bought or homemade)
  • Mozzarella cheese, shredded or torn
  • Olive oil

1. Make the Lemon Cream Sauce

  1. In a heavy-based pot, melt 5g of the butter over medium heat.
  2. Add garlic and shallot and cook until softened (not browned).
  3. Pour in the white wine. Increase the heat and simmer until reduced by half.
  4. Add white wine vinegar and reduce again by half.
  5. Stir in the cream, lemon zest and salt. Let it gently simmer until it thickens slightly.
  6. Remove from heat and whisk in the remaining 10g of butter until glossy and smooth.
  7. (Optional: Strain into a piping bag or container for easier application.)

2. Prepare the Mushrooms

  1. Heat a splash of olive oil and a knob of butter in a large, hot pan.
  2. Add mushroom slices and cook for a few minutes until golden and softened.
  3. Add a sprig of thyme during cooking for extra flavour.
  4. Remove mushrooms from the pan and drain on paper towel to remove excess moisture.

3. Prep the Potatoes

  1. Thinly slice potatoes into a bowl of cold water to prevent browning and help them crisp up when baked.
  2. Pat dry before using on pizza.

4. Assemble the Pizza

  1. Preheat your oven (or pizza oven) as hot as it will go – ideally 250°C or higher.
  2. Stretch out your pizza dough on a floured surface or tray.
  3. Spread a generous layer of lemon cream sauce over the base.
  4. Top with sautéed mushrooms and drained potato slices.
  5. Add mozzarella on top.
  6. Drizzle a little olive oil around the crust.
  7. Bake until the base is golden and crisp, and the toppings are bubbling and golden – around 7–12 minutes depending on your oven.

Enjoy your mushroom and potato pizza with a zesty lemon twist!

Ultimate Umami Mushroom Pizza

  • 4 brown mushrooms (3 for reduction, 1 for topping)
  • 1 brown onion, finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • Reserved mushroom stock or water
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 5 sprigs fresh thyme
  • Fresh mozzarella ball
  • Low-moisture mozzarella
  • Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
  • Ricotta
  • Olive oil
  • Pizza dough (store-bought or homemade)
  • Chilli oil, for finishing

1. Make the Mushroom Reduction

  1. Heat a sauté pan over medium-high heat with a knob of butter and a splash of olive oil.
  2. Add the chopped onion and minced garlic. Sauté until softened.
  3. Add 3 of the brown mushrooms, roughly chopped.
  4. Cook slowly for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, allowing the mushrooms to release and cook out their liquid.
  5. Once dry, cool slightly.
  6. Add the reserved mushroom stock or water, and continue cooking down until the mixture is thick and the mushrooms are nearly falling apart.
  7. Remove from heat and blend using a stick blender or standard blender until smooth.

Set aside to cool, either in a piping bag or covered bowl.

2. Assemble the Pizza

  1. Preheat your oven as hot as it will go (ideally 250°C or higher).
  2. Stretch your pizza dough to the desired shape.
  3. Drizzle olive oil over the base.
  4. Spread a generous layer of the mushroom reduction across the dough.
  5. Sprinkle over plenty of Parmigiano Reggiano.
  6. Top with thinly sliced raw mushroom (from the remaining mushroom), fresh mozzarella, and low-moisture mozzarella.
  7. Bake until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbling and caramelised.
  8. Finish with extra Parmigiano Reggiano, dollops of whipped ricotta, and a drizzle of chilli oil.

Savour every bite of this deeply savoury, cheesy mushroom pizza — it’s comfort food with serious flavour credentials.

Theo Loizou’s Father’s Day Breakfast Pizza

  • 2 white or brown mushrooms, very thinly sliced
  • 1 pork & fennel sausage (casing removed, broken into small pieces)
  • 1 can peeled whole tomatoes
  • 1 garlic clove (½ for sauce, ½ optional for base)
  • 1 egg
  • Fresh mozzarella
  • Low-moisture mozzarella
  • Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
  • Olive oil
  • Fresh basil
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • Pizza dough (store-bought or homemade) see recipe and ingredients below

Method:

Make the Tomato Sauce

  1. In a bowl or stick blender cup, add the canned tomatoes, ½ grated garlic clove, 1 tbsp olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste.
  2. Blend very briefly—just enough to break the tomatoes up but still keep some texture.

Assemble the Pizza

  1. Preheat your oven (or pizza oven) to its highest temperature.
  2. Stretch out your pizza dough to your desired size.
  3. Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce over the base.
  4. Top with Parmigiano Reggiano, sliced mushrooms, crumbled sausage, fresh basil, fresh mozzarella and low-moisture mozzarella.

Bake and Add the Egg

  1. Place the pizza in the oven to bake.
  2. About halfway through the bake, remove the pizza and carefully crack the egg into the centre.
  3. Return the pizza to the oven and bake until the egg white is set and the yolk is still slightly runny (or cooked to your liking).

Finish and Serve

  1. Remove from the oven and season the egg with salt and pepper.
  2. Drizzle with olive oil and serve immediately.

Theo Loizou’s Pizza Dough
Ingredients 

400g Tipo 00 flour 

75g bread flour

25g Wholegrain flour

100g active sourdough starter 

12g salt

5g olive oil 

290g water plus 60g water for when salt is added 

 
Method

  1. In a mixing bowl of a stand mixer add water then starter and mix with a wooden spoon until broken up
  2. Add flours and mix on low speed until combined well – about 4mins 
  3. Let dough rest for 30mins then add salt and half the remaining water and mix on medium speed for 4mins 
  4. After 4mins the dough should be smooth, check the temp with a probe you don’t want the dough to reach higher than 28° – aim for between 25° and 28°C (this will depend on your environment, if it’s very hot where you are you will need to start the mix with cold water and vice versa if you are in a cold climate 
  5. Next with the machine running add the olive oil and if the dough needs more water add the remaining water (this is done by eye and feel, the more you do it the easier it will become to know what hydration is right for you)
  6. Mix for a further 4mins then remove from the mixing bowl and place in a lightly oiled container or bowl to bulk ferment for around 2hrs (again this is determined by your environment)
  7. After the bulk fermentation dump the dough on a bench and divide into equals portions or 280g balls 
  8. Shape into a tight ball and place in a flat container with a cover to proof. 
  9. You can at this stage place them in the fridge and use them the the next day or let them proof at room temperature and bake the same day – the balls should increase by 1/3 or so before baking 

Note – if you don’t have a mixer you can mix the ingredients by hand and halfway through the bulk fermentation stage give the dough a set of folds (take the dough and pick up one side of it and fold it over to the other side and keep doing this until the dough cannot take any more tension) or you can perform a set of coil folds (take one third of the dough and stretch it up as far as it will allow then fold it under the rest of the dough, do that 2 more times)

Mushroom Balsamic Pizza

Recipe in Partnership with Leggo’s

Prep: 15 mins Cook: 10 mins Serves: 4

  • 25cm pre-prepared or home-made pizza base
  • ¼ cup Leggo’s Pizza Sauce Garlic, Onion & Herb
  • 1 cup Woolworths white cup mushrooms, sliced
  • ¼ red onion, thinly sliced
  • ¾ cup mozzarella
  • Baby rocket leaves, for garnish
  • Balsamic glaze, for drizzling
  • Shaved parmesan, for garnish
  • Optional: ¼ cup toasted walnuts, for crunch

  1. Spread pizza base with Leggo’s Pizza Sauce. Top pizza with mushrooms, onion and mozzarella.
  2. Bake in a preheated oven at 230°C for 8-10 minutes or until cheese is melted and the crust is golden.
  3. Sprinkle with walnuts and rocket. Drizzle with balsamic glaze, top with parmesan and serve immediately.

Mushroom and Potato Pizza

Prep: 15 mins | Cooking time: 12 mins | Makes:  2 pizzas

  • 300g fresh ricotta
  • 1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 2 x 250g packets pizza dough (see note)
  • 100g baby potatoes, very thinly sliced
  • 200g brown cup mushrooms, sliced; or brown or white button mushrooms, sliced; or larger mushrooms halved and sliced 
  • Baby rocket leaves, to serve

  1. Preheat oven to 240°C/220°C fan-forced. Combine ricotta, parmesan, 2 tablespoons oil and garlic in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. With oiled hands, spread each pizza dough over 2 greased baking trays.  Crumble ricotta mixture over bases. Arrange potato over ricotta. Top with mushroom. Drizzle with remaining oil. Season with salt and pepper. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until base is cooked and mushrooms are golden.
  2. Sprinkle with rocket. Drizzle with extra oil. Serve.

Cook’s note: You can find fresh pizza dough in the refrigerated section, near the fresh pasta. But you can also use a ready-made pizza base from the bakery section of the supermarket.

Mush-Boom Potato Pizza

Mushroom Pizza Omelette

Prep: 15 mins | Cooking time: 20 mins | Serves:  4

  • 8 eggs
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 3/4 pizza blend cheese
  • 80g brown cup mushrooms, sliced; or 80g white and brown button, or Swiss brown, sliced
  • ¼ green capsicum, sliced
  • 8 thin slices pepperoni salami
  • 4 pitted black olives, sliced
  • 5 Perino tomatoes, halved
  • Fresh basil leaves, to serve

  1. Preheat oven to 200°C/180°C fan-forced. Grease a 25cm (base) tart tin and line base with baking paper. 
  2. Whisk eggs and milk in a large bowl until smooth. Add ½ cup cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Add to prepared tin. Bake for 5 minutes.
  3. Arrange mushroom, capsicum, salami, olives and tomato on top, without pushing into egg mixture (omelette is only partially cooked at this stage). Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake for another 10 minutes. Switch oven to grill. When grill is hot, cook omelette under grill for 2-3 minutes or until golden. Serve sprinkled with basil.