From the base to the sauce to the toppings - this homemade pizza is worth the effort!
For the base I used the recipe from the River Cottage Handbook No.3 - Bread. It's pretty straightforward and produces great results. I used wholemeal bread flour instead of plain - I prefer the taste and it's a little healthier. I also used slightly more yeast because the recipe asks for 5g and the sachets I have are 7g, so I just chucked it all in!
For a quicker process you can use a shop bought sauce, but I find it's worth the effort to make one from scratch. All I do for this sauce is fry off some red onion, garlic and herbs, then add a jar of good quality passata and simmer for 20 minutes. You won't necessarily need all of this for the pizzas so you can save some for a quick pasta sauce.
Obviously with the toppings you can do whatever you like! The possibilities are endless and it's easy to adjust for either veggie or meat options. Although with these toppings, even J didn't mind that it was a meat-free meal!
Roasting the veg first is another step that is worth doing for maximum flavour, as the pizzas themselves are pretty quick to cook.
Makes 4 large pizzas
Ingredients
For the base:
250g strong wholemeal bread flour
250g plain white flour
7g instant yeast
10g salt
325ml warm water
1 tbsp olive oil
semolina, for dusting
For the sauce:
1 red onion
2 cloves garlic
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
500g passata
For the toppings:
1 small aubergine, sliced
1 red onion, sliced
handful of black olives
1 red pepper, sliced
2 balls mozzarella
cheddar cheese
fresh basil
drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
Method
1. Start with the dough - mix all of the ingredients except the oil, you can do this by hand or in a food mixer with a dough attachment. Then add the oil and knead until smooth and silky (about 10 minutes in the mixer). Shape the dough into a round and leave in a clean bowl, covered with a plastic bag or cling film until doubled in size.
2. While the dough is rising, prepare your sauce and toppings. Roast your chosen vegetables in olive oil for 15-20 minutes (depending on choice of veg and how small you slice them). Have your toppings laid out in bowls for easy preparation.
3. For the sauce, fry the diced onion and minced garlic until soft. Add the dried herbs and fry for another minute or so. Add the passata, stir and simmer on a low heat for about 20 minutes. You can also use fresh herbs if you prefer.
4. Once the dough has double in size, cut into four equal pieces and shape. I use a rolling pin to start and then stretch to the shape of my trays. Dust the trays with semolina first to stop the pizza sticking. Spread a generous ladle full of sauce onto the base and add your toppings.
5. Bake for 12-15 minutes at 200C. Adjust the timings if you're using a pizza stone - likely no more than 10 minutes. Drizzle with olive oil and top with fresh basil.
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