So, you’ve made your pizza dough and are feeling very much like a domestic goddess. Now for your pizza!
This recipe is for a pizza for two, made on a large baking tray. For personal round pizzas, use the same method with an oven-friendly frying pan.
Take out your portion of pizza dough and get it to room temperature. Preheat your oven to at least 220 degrees.
Flour your clean work surface, and using a floured rolling pin (or bottle of wine), roll out your pizza dough to approximately the shape of your baking tray. Don’t worry about being too exact – stretch it with your hands if you need to and fix any little holes that appear.
Oil your baking tray and spread your dough on top. An easy way to do this is to roll it around your rolling pin, and then unroll over the baking tray.
Stretch, push and spread it so it goes into the corners and around the sides.
It’s topping time – here is where you can be super creative or simply use whatever you have to hand… Your constants are a tomato sauce and mozzarella.
I make tomato sauce in batches and freeze in portions. The recipe varies, but a good basic one is:
Tomato Sauce for Pizza
Ingredients
- 1 Tin chopped tomatoes
- 20 Fresh cherry tomatoes halved
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 Red Pepper cut into chunks
- 2 Cloves of garlic
- 1 Onion or several shallots finely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C
- Drizzle the fresh tomatoes and red pepper on a baking tray and roast in the oven for around 20 minutes or until caramelised
- Sweat the onion (or shallots) in a pan
- Add the garlic to the pan with the onion until all soft
- Place everything together (including the tinned tomatoes) and blend until as chunty or as smooth as you like
- Season to taste with salt and pepper. You can also add a touch of balsamic vinegar, based on your preference. If you like a bit of heat, you can add some chilli flakes.
Some topping ideas
- Caramelised red onion and goats cheese
- Fresh tomatoes, pine nuts, and fresh basil (pic below)
- Chorizo / pepperoni / pancetta / sausage (use pre-bought sausages and squeeze the meat out of the casings)
- Feta, spinach and olives
- Thin, crispy garlic bread – Garlic, and wild garlic, pine nuts
- Ham, mushrooms and pesto
To complete your pizza, spread a thin layer of your tomato sauce over your dough, leaving an inch around the edges. Top with torn mozzarella and your choice of toppings.
Put into your hot oven. Keep a close eye on it – depending on your oven it could take between 2 and 20 minutes to cook. You’ll know it’s done when the crust is hard and the cheese is melted and starting to catch.
If you want to jazz up your pizza even further, fresh basil or rocket, truffle oil or balsamic glaze and a fine grating of parmesan are all options at this point.
I use scissors to cut my pizza into slices and then in a matter of minutes, it’s gone!
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