"Making pizza at home is very simple and once you’ve tried it, you’ll do it time and time again. It’s great to make with my boys, letting them get hands-on and choosing our own toppings."
Pizza
5
- ★★
- ★★
- ★★
- ★★
- ★★
Jump to Section
- Recipe Card
Prep time: 1hr 20mins
Cook time: 20mins
Serves or Makes: 6
Recipe Card
ingredients
For the base
- 14 gram dried yeast
- 1 tbsp honey or maple syrup
- 2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for greasing the foil
- 650 milliliter lukewarm water
- 800 gram tipo 00 flour, plus extra for dusting
- 200 gram semolina flour, plus extra for dusting
- 2 teaspoon himalayan salt
ingredients
for the sauce
- 400 gram tinned chopped tomatoes
- 1 clove garlic, peeled and sliced
- 1 tbsp tomato puree
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- pinch of flaked sea salt
- grind of black pepper
ingredients
For the toppings
- 150 gram mozzarella
- chorizo or serrano ham
- mushrooms
- red bell pepper
- anchovy fillets
- dried chilli flakes
- rocket
- basil
Method
For the bases
Step 1
In a small bowl, add the yeast, honey or maple syrup and olive oil to the lukewarm water. Mix everything together and leave for 10 minutes until the yeast starts to activate, bubble and come to life. If the water is too cold it won’t activate the yeast, if it’s too hot, it will kill it.
Step 2
In a large bowl, combine the flours and salt. Make a well in the centre then pour in the liquid, gradually mixing in the flours with a wooden spoon until a mass of dough begins to form.
Step 3
Turn the dough out and knead on a lightly floured work surface for about 10 minutes until soft and smooth. You can, of course, use an electric stand mixer and dough hook instead, which saves a lot of time.
Step 4
Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with cling film and leave in a warm place to prove for 1 hour or until it's doubled in size.
Step 5
Punch down the proven dough well, transfer to a lightly floured surface and divide the dough into six individual balls. Working with one ball at a time, and using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough out into your preferred pizza size. Tear off sheets of foil just bigger than each pizza. Grease the foil all over with some olive oil and liberally sprinkle with semolina flour, then place the pizza base on top. Repeat with each ball of dough.
For the sauce
Step 1
Place the tinned tomatoes into a food processor with the garlic, purée and olive oil. Blitz until smooth then transfer to a small saucepan over a medium heat and cook for 5 minutes. Stir through the oregano and season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Add the sauce to your pizza bases, spreading it out from the centre but leaving the edge clear to create a crust.
To assemble and cook your pizza
Step 1
Remove all the racks and preheat the oven to its highest temperature, usually around 240°c.
Step 2
Add your mozzarella, and any other toppings you wish. Carefully slide the pizza with foil base onto the base of the oven. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until the pizzas are golden brown and the cheese is fully melted. Add any cold toppings, such as Serrano ham, fresh basil or rocket, after cooking. Repeat this process to cook each pizza then serve.