Test your pizza making skills with this Catherine Fulvio recipe.
Ingredients
Basic Pizza Dough (makes: 3 x 20cm rounds):
- 500 g strong flour
- 7 g dried yeast (or 1 sachet)
- 300 ml luke warm water (more if required)
- 2 tsp olive oil, extra virgin
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 ½ tsp sugar
For the Tomato Sauce (this will be sufficient for 3 pizza bases):
- 2 tblsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion (minced)
- 1 clove garlic (minced)
- 600 g canned chopped tomatoes
- salt and pepper
- 0.5 tsp chopped fresh herbs (e.g. thyme, sage, marjoram)
- 0.5 tsp sugar (if necessary)
The following quantities are for 1 Pizza topping:
- 2 slices parma ham (cut into 3cm strips)
- 6 mozzerella slices
- a handful of rocket leaves, tossed in a little dressing
Method
Test your pizza making skills with this Catherine Fulvio recipe.
- To make the base, mix the yeast and sugar in the luke warm water.
- Allow to activate – the yeast will froth, then it is ready to use.
- In the meantime, sieve the flour into a mixing bowl. Add the salt, olive oil and yeast mixture.
- Mix to a loose dough, adding more flour or water as required.
- Knead until the dough is very pliable – approximately 5 minutes using the dough hook of a food mixer or 7–10 minutes by hand.
- Leave the dough to rise in a well-oiled bowl covered with cling film until the dough has trebled in size and is springy to the touch. It will rise best in a warm location e.g. hotpress, near a cooker or oven.
- Meanwhile, prepare the tomato sauce, heat the olive oil in a saucepan, add onion and herbs and sauté over a low heat for about 7-10 minutes, until the onion has softened.
- Add the garlic and cook for about 2 minutes. Then add the tomatoes and simmer for about 10–15 minutes until thickened. Season with salt, pepper and if necessary sugar.
- Preheat the oven to 230°C/Gas 8.
- When the dough has risen, knock it back and place onto a floured surface.
- Knead it again by hand for 2–3 minutes.
- Roll out or stretch dough with your hands onto the pizza pan/screen or baking sheet sprinkled with a little semolina.
- To avoid a soggy base, brush lightly with extra virgin oil.
- Then spread over the tomato sauce mixture, and arrange the mozzarella on top.
- Place the pizza in the preheated oven and bake until lightly brown and bubbly about 10 to 12 minutes.
- Place strips of Parma ham around the pizza and a handful of rocket in the centre.
- Serve immediately.
