Homemade pizzas!

  🍕This recipe was given to me by one of my best friends Mariana Di Nunno😊

Ingredients

10g fresh yeast o 1/2 sachet dry yeast (see packet instructions)

white flour 300g, ideally from bakery (or you can use all purpose white flour)

Olive oil (virgin extra would be better) 

sugar

salt

black pepper

1/4 tin tomato sauce 

dry herbs - basil, oregano, parsley, thyme

dry garlic

100g Ricotta

1 Mozzarella ball

a few mushrooms

1\4 courgette(I've used a white courgette but any would do)

Water

This recipe makes 2 pizzas

Important

How to make lukewarm water - mix 150ml boiled water with 300ml cold water, and use 150ml of this volume to dissolve the yeast in.

It's always better if you can use fresh yeast and flour as it will produce a softer, more tender and crunchier crust. 

Quick and easy chilli sauce (optional

In a small glass bottle, add a bit of extra virgin olive oil, crushed red chillies and dry herbs of your choice. I use basil, oregano, parsley and thyme. Shake the bottle to mix the ingredients, and drizzle over the pizza when ready to eat.

Preparing the dough

1.I always use fresh yeast. The first stage is to activate the yeast. Combine 150ml lukewarm water with 10g fresh yeast, a pinch of sugar and mix with a teaspoon.

2. After about 5-15 minutes, the surface of the liquid will start to foam, which indicates that the yeast has been activated. I haven't used dry yeast, but I think 1/2 a sachet should be sufficient for 150ml lukewarm water, but  please check the instructions on the packet.

3. In a large bowl, combine 300g flour, the activated yeast mix, 1.5 tbsp salt, 1 teaspoon sugar and 2-3 tbsp olive oil.

4.The ingredients can be mixed by hand, or using dough hooks on a mixer. I usually start off by using the mixer, and hands later, but you can stick to using your hands for the entire process.

5.If you are using the mixer, once the ingredients are combined (or once a soft ball has formed), move the dough over to a work surface/large chopping board. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for a few minutes, until the dough becomes soft and no longer sticks to the surface or your hands. If it continues to stick, add small amounts of flour at a time and keep kneading until it becomes soft.

6. Form a large dough ball and divide it into 2 balls. Grease 2 small bowls with olive oil and place a dough ball in each and  lightly coat the doughs in olive oil. Cover each bowl with cling film. Set aside for approximately 2 hours in a dry place. I normally leave it inside the oven (turned off!). In about 2 hours, the dough should have doubled in size.

7. After 2 hours, pre-heat the oven to 200°C /392 F. 

8. Move a dough ball at a time over to a floured work surface and start stretching out the dough using your hands or a rolling pin. You can start flattening the centre with your hands, and then applying pressure with fingers from the centre towards the edges in different directions. Continue until the dough is stretched (ideally into a nice circle, but I'm not very good with shapes!). Sprinkle a bit of flour during the process if the dough starts sticking. Use your fingers to pinch around the edges.

9. Next, let's prepare 2 different pizza toppings!

Tomato sauce topping

Mix tomato sauce (about 1/4th of a can) with some olive oil, dry herbs of your choice, , dry garlic, a pinch of sugar (to reduce acidity), salt and pepper.  Spread the sauce over the surface of the dough. Add 1/2 the mozzarella (cut into small pieces) and ingredients of your choice. I've used cooked ham and black olives. I ran out of fresh basil on the day, so I sprinkled some dry basil and oregano. (You could bake a classic Margarita using tomato sauce, fresh basil and mozzarella).

10. Brush the edges with a bit of oil/water to prevent them from drying out in the oven.

11. White pizza

Mix the other half of the mozzarella (also cut into small pieces) with the ricotta, adding a bit of salt, olive oil and dry herbs. Mix the ingredients well. Brush the surface of the dough with some olive oil and dry garlic, and add some slices mushrooms and sliced courgette. It is best not to overload the dough with vegetables. Add the mozzarella/ricotta mix over the vegetables, and sprinkle some olive oil on top.

12. Place the pizza into the oven using a pizza shovel or chopping board (I know this is tricky!) and bake at 200°C /392 F for 15-20 minutes. Keep an eye on the pizza in case you need to increase or decrease the temperature. If you have a big oven you can try baking 2 pizzas at the same time. I normally bake individually, placing it in the centre of the oven.

13. Serve immediately!