There aren't many meals that we regularly eat in this house. With the quantity of cookery books I own, I could quite easily cook a different meal every evening pretty much indefinitely. But there are two meals a week I am definitely not allowed to change. The first is Sunday lunch. The chaos and confusion that causes if I so much as change that to the evening, let alone switch days! Seriously. We've even had tears over it from the youngest member of the family.
The other is Saturday nights pizza, usually eaten whilst watching You've Been Framed. Its what makes Saturday Saturday.
I've tried loads of recipies with varying degrees of success. I've burnt frying pan pizzas, ended up with stodgy bases, or very watery on the top, or not cooked in the middle..you name it! But this is the very tried and tested recipe that works every time.
This makes enough for two large pizzas and two small ones.
Base
250g white bread flour
1tsp salt
1tsp fast action yeast
180ml warm water
2tbsp olive oil
I stick it all into my Kenwood chef about an hour before I want to start making the pizza and let the dough hook do its business for five minutes. Then just cover it and leave it to prove.
Toppings
Tomato puree
Mozarella
What ever else you like.
I get it all on a board ready. Tonight we had Serano ham, pepper, mushrooms, anchovies and an egg.
Roll the dough out as thin as you can. I like to roll it out with a mix of flour and semolina which gives the base a bit of a crunch. Spread a thin layer of tomato puree over then add your toppings.
Put in a hot oven, around 180ºc for about 10 minutes- or as long as it takes me to clear up the carnage left behind by two enthusiastic junior cooks! Speedy tip- the vacuum cleaner is the easiest way to clear up the flour! Husband thought I was crazy vacuumimg the working surface the first time he saw me, but I was right!
Enjoy!
