Ingredients
For the dough
500 g/1 lb. 6 oz strong white flour or a mixture of one third wholemeal and two thirds white
1 sachet fast action
dried yeast
2 teaspoons salt
400 ml/13 1/2 fl oz warm water
1 tablespoon olive oil
For the tomato pizza topping
150 ml / 1/4 pint passata
1 crushed clove garlic
2 tablespoons tomato puree
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Herbs to taste
Toppings of your choice!
Making the dough
Preheat the oven to its hottest setting.
Sieve the flour and salt together into a bowl and stir in the dried yeast.
Add half of the water and oil and stir well, mixing in more water to give a soft but workable dough. A greater quantity of water may be required if you are using wholemeal flour.
Knead the dough for 10 minutes and leave to prove for 30 minutes.
Divide the mixture into two and press and stretch each section to begin flattening the dough into pizza shapes.
Use a rolling pin to finish off the shaping and place on an oiled baking sheet.
Making the sauce
Combine the passata with the garlic and 2 tablespoons of tomato puree.
Stir well and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and season. Herbs of your choice may also be added at this stage to vary the flavour.
One teaspoon of dried or two heaped teaspoons of finely chopped fresh herbs will suffice.
Bringing it all together
Top your pizza with a couple of tablespoons of the sauce and then:
A mixture of mozzarella cheese and strong grated cheddar is our most popular cheese mixture. The rest of the pizza toppings are up to you, but here are some of our favourites:
A can of drained tuna, anchovies and black olives go together really well.
My personal favourite is tuna, lots of prawns and some thinly sliced red onion.
A vegetable special is finely chopped red and yellow peppers, thinly sliced courgettes cut lengthways and finely sliced spring onions with plenty of black pepper.
Chopped, smoked ham and sliced fried mushrooms.
Pepperoni and chorizo sliced thinly with some scattered sun-dried tomatoes.
Bake at 220°C/gas mark 6 for 20-25 minutes
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pizza