Pizza

My homemade from scratch Margherita pizza.

Was really missing some authentic pizza, so decided to give my own homemade pizza a go - without the use of any fancy equipment.

I started by making my dough in the morning. After plenty of kneading, slapping & resting etc. by early evening I was ready to cook the first of these bad boys!

However, we all know for authentic pizza you need a scorching hot, pizza oven. So,
in the absence of one of these in my North London flat, I thankfully came across the @theboywhobakes website. Here he makes traditional Neapolitan pizza using a frying pan technique to get the gorgeous speckled spots at the bottom & puffy edges of the pizza – then it’s finished off under a piping-hot grill

This little process makes the nearest thing to an authentic oven-fired pizza at home.
Here’s a short video of me using this technique:

My ultimate, favourite & go-to pizza is Margherita because it’s pizza-simplicity at its best. And my straightforward recipe makes an amazing Margherita. 

I added some lovely Extra Virgin Olive Oil in the dough & drizzled some on top.

Mangia, mangia! 👩🏻‍🍳

Pizza recipe:

Dough:

300g 00 flour - is the best flour for pizza
2 1/2 tsps dry active yeast or a sachet of instant/fast action yeast
1 tsp salt
2 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
150- 200ml warm water - you may not need all of this

Toppings:

Sauce
1/2 a tin of tomatoes (either San Marzano or Napolina or Cirio are good)
1 garlic clove crushed
1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
Pinch of salt
Pinch of chilli flakes
*Just whizz up all these ingredients in a blender or use a hand blender to make a smooth sauce

Cheese
100-150g mozzarella - get the type suitable for pizza
Basil leaves

Makes 2 pizzas - about 10 inches each

1. Dough preparation:
- if using “active dry yeast” like me, remember it needs to be dissolved in water first. So just take 2-3 tbsps of your measured 150ml of warm water & add this to a small bowl mixing in the yeast, then leave for 5 minutes.
- if using “instant/fast action yeast” just add directly to the rest of the ingredients.

2. In a large bowl add the flour, salt in the corner, stir in the yeast mixture, water (leaving a little behind) & olive oil. Give this a mix with a spoon & add a little bit more water if it needs it, then tip it out onto the work surface.

3. Important - do not add any extra flour at all when kneading. Yes, the dough will initially be very sticky but as you start kneading it should become a lot more elastic and smooth. Having some sort of scraper does help when it becomes a little bit more difficult to handle. I do use a bit of olive oil to help when handling the dough. Knead for at least 10 minutes & to check that you’ve kneaded it enough press your finger in the middle of the dough and if pushes back then it’s done. Note - I used a stretch & slap technique to get my dough smooth & elastic.

4. Place the dough in an oiled bowl & leave to prove in a warm place covered for about 45 minutes.

5. I then keep mine in the fridge to rest until I am going to use it. Note - if you can leave the dough in the fridge overnight, it will taste even better. After resting mine in the fridge for 6 hours you can see some nice air bubbles have formed.

6. Let the dough come to room temperature for at least 1 hour before you want to use it (again in a warm place). Divide in half & fold each piece of dough into 4 then into itself to form a tight ball. Cover the balls with oiled clingfilm & let rest for about 20 minutes.

7. Preheat a frying pan on a medium heat for at least 10 minutes to get really hot. At the same time preheat your grill too to the highest setting.

8. On a floured surface shape your 1st piece of dough by starting in the middle work the dough into a small disc by pushing your fingers flat in the dough leaving the edge untouched. Do sprinkle flour on top when doing this. Continue doing this very gently as its very easy to tear the dough, until its approx 23cm in diameter. Sprinkle a small amount of semolina on some greaseproof paper then transfer your pizza on top of it.

9. Carefully transfer the pizza to your pan from the greaseproof paper & then spread a thin layer of the tomato sauce. You should see the edges of the pizza puff up & the bottom should have speckled spots. Note - do not use a non-stick frying pan as its not suitable for very high heats, therefore a cast iron or enamel pan are required.

10. Now it’s time to add the mozzarella , then put the pan under the grill for a couple of minutes until the crust browns a bit  & the mozzarella starts to melt - just keep an eye on it.

11. As soon as you take it out, place it on a wooden board, drizzle some olive oil & scatter basil on top.

12. Repeat the same with your 2nd piece of pizza dough.