THE BEST HOMEMADE PIZZA
It’s worth making double or triple the amount of tomato sauce if you have a bumper crop of produce. Bear in mind it will take longer to cook to the desired consistency. Freeze it in batches for up to six months.
Preparation 40 minutes, plus cooling and rising Cooking 30 minutes Makes 6 x 23cm pizzas
FOR THE PIZZA BASE
1 TSP RUNNY HONEY
350G 00 FLOUR OR PLAIN FLOUR
150G FINE SEMOLINA FLOUR, PLUS EXTRA FOR DUSTING 7G SACHET FAST-ACTION DRIED YEAST
3 TBSP EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL
FOR THE TOMATO SAUCE
700G RIPE RED TOMATOES, SKINNED, HALVED AND DESEEDED 5 TBSP OLIVE OIL
3 GARLIC CLOVES, CHOPPED, THEN CRUSHED TO A PASTE WITH SALT
1 TBSP TOMATO PURÉE
PINCH OF SUGAR
PINCH OF DRIED OREGANO
TOPPINGS OF YOUR CHOICE SUCH AS PESTO, COURGETTE, PARMA HAM, GOATS’ CHEESE, OLIVE TAPENADE, ARTICHOKE HEARTS, ANCHOVIES, CAPERS, MOZZARELLA, BASIL, ROASTED PEPPERS, CHORIZO, PINE NUTS, PAPRIKA
1 To make the tomato sauce, roughly chop the tomatoes. Put the oil in a large pan with the garlic and stir well over a high heat. As soon as the garlic sizzles (it mustn’t brown), add the tomatoes, along with the tomato purée, sugar and oregano. Simmer for about 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until very thick and rich. Leave to cool.
2 Spoon the honey into a jug of 250ml hand-hot water. Stir well, making sure everything has dissolved. Leave for around 10 minutes. Put the flours, 1½ tsp salt and dried yeast in a bowl and make a well in the centre for the liquid. Add 1 tbsp oil to the flour, then the honey liquid. Mix together well, until it leaves the side of the bowl clean. Cover and leave for 5 minutes.
3 Knead the dough on a floured surface for about 7 minutes. Put a drizzle of oil in the bowl, add the dough, cover and leave to rise at room temperature for 30-45 minutes until doubled. Punch down the dough, tip out, knead into a ball and cut into four, six or eight.
4 Preheat the oven to 230°C (210°C fan oven) gas mark 8 and put two baking sheets inside to heat up. Shape each piece into a ball and put on a floured baking parchment-lined tray. Cover and leave at room temperature for 15 minutes (or put in the fridge and leave for up to three hours).
5 Roll out the balls thinly (half can be used straightaway and the rest frozen between sheets of baking parchment, if you like), spread over the tomato sauce and toppings. Drizzle over a little oil and a twist of black pepper. Slide the pizzas onto preheated trays. Bake for 10-15 minutes. Drizzle with more oil and serve. If you have a pizza oven, the pizzas will cook quicker than in a conventional oven.