PIZZA & PIZZA TOPPINGS
vegetarian
BASIC PIZZA DOUGH
Makes 4 individual pizzas
- 400g (14 oz) plain flour
- 2 teaspoons easy-blend dried yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 250 ml (8 fl oz) warm water
Method
- Place the flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre and pour in the water. Using your hand to mix, bring the ingredients together to form a soft, pliable dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead vigorously for at least 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and stretchy. Because all flours are slightly different, you may find that you need to add extra flour or water to get a good, soft but not too sticky dough.
- Rub a little oil over the surface of the ball of dough, put into a large bowl and cover with a clean tea towel and leave in a warm place for about 30 minutes until doubled in size. Divide the dough into four equal balls and knead them again for a couple of minutes. Roll out the dough to the size and thickness you like, remembering that it will be at least double in thickness by the time it is cooked, and place on baking sheets.
- Preheat the oven to 240C,475F, Gas 9. Arrange the toppings on your pizzas, except the cheese, if using and place in the oven for 10 minutes. Sprinkle over the cheese and return to the oven for a further 5-10 minutes until the pizza is crisp and golden brown.
TOPPINGS
PIZZA TOPPINGS
The quickest and one of the best sauces to use as a base for pizza is passata. This can be bought from most supermarkets in a carton or bottle and is made from sieved plum tomatoes.
Spread it over the dough, sprinkle with a little good olive oil and season lightly with salt, pepper and some dried oregano or basil before adding your choice of toppings. The quantities given are for each individual pizza.
MARINARA THE ORIGINAL PIZZA
2-3 tablespoons passata, pinch dried oregano, 1 finely chopped garlic clove, 1 teaspoon olive oil, seasoning.
NEOPOLITANA
2-3 tablespoons passata, 2 canned anchovy fillets, 6 pickled capers, 4 black olives, 1 teaspoon olive oil, 30g (1 oz) chopped mozzarella cheese, seasoning.
PESCATORA
2-3 tablespoons passata, pinch dried basil, 60g (2 oz) ready-prepared seafood cocktail, thawed if frozen, 1finely chopped garlic clove, 1 teaspoon olive oil, seasoning.
FUNGHI
2-3 tablespoons passata, pinch dried oregano, 60g (2 oz) sliced mushrooms, 1 chopped garlic clove, 30g (1 oz) chopped mozzarella cheese, 1 teaspoon olive oil, seasoning.