Pizza is another invention that came after my 1970 classroom recipes so we never made it with a yeast dough.
Nowadays ready made pizza bases make life easy but here’s a home made recipe.
Serves 2-4
Ingredients
Dough
200g strong, white bread flour
1/2 tsp salt 3g
1 x 7 g sachet dried yeast
2 tsp sugar
150ml warm water.
Topping
Passata or tomato paste – about 100g
100g grated cheese or mozzarella
2 tbs olive oil
Ideas for topping – Slices of aubergine, onion, yellow and red pepper, black olives, mixed herbs, mushrooms
Method
- Preheat the oven to 250C/ Gas 9. Prepare large baking trays for the 2 pizzas by lining them with non stick paper.
- Put the flour, salt, yeast and sugar in a mixing bowl or food processor and work in the water until the dough forms. Use the blades in the machine to work the dough.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes by stretching, pulling and pushing the dough to make it smooth and springy. This kneading helps stretch the gluten which forms the structure when baked.
- Put the dough in a bowl, cover with a cloth or clingfilm and leave in a warm place until double in size 20-30 minutes.
- Prepare the ingredients for the topping – you can roast or fry the peppers, sliced onion and aubergine.
- Grate the cheese and slice the mushrooms.
- Divide the dough in half and rub with a little oil and pat and roll out to form a large pizza shape. Repeat for the second dough and place on the 2 baking trays.
- Spoon on a layer of passata or tomato paste to the edges of each pizza then drop on the vegetables, mixed herbs and top with grated cheese. Place some olives on top.
- Bake 7-10 minutes until the pizzas are golden and crispy.
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