ingredients (Serves 4)

• 1⁄2 a ball of mozzarella
• Handful of fresh cherry tomatoes
• Basil (optional)

Chef’s tip*

This recipe makes 4 pizzas. The dough is best made the day before, then stretched and topped on the day of eating. Any leftover dough and sauce can be frozen separately for up to 3 months and used when required.

Method

For the Dough
• Mix almost all the water (keeping 50ml of water set aside) and flour – leave for 30 minutes.
• Add the yeast and salt to the remaining water and add to the dough, knead well for 2-3 minutes. Cover with cling film and leave for 20-30 minutes, until doubled in size.
• Stretch and fold over the dough 4-5 times, re-cover and leave for a further 20-30 minutes.
• The dough can then be used straight away, but it is best refridgerated overnight before use. You can also portion out the dough and then freeze it for up to three months.

For the sauce
• Heat the oil in a heavy based saucepan on a low to medium heat and add the garlic and onion, cook for 2-3 minutes until soft but not coloured
• Add tomato puree and tinned tomatoes, season to taste. Turn down the heat to low and leave to reduce until thick, for around 20-30 minutes, stir occasionally throughout. Once reduced and thick, set to one side to completely cool

Topping
• Take one quarter of the dough per pizza and roll out into a circle or rectangle until it is half a centimetre thick.
• Spoon roughly a quarter of the tomato sauce onto the pizza, spreading thinly and leaving a centimetre gap around the edge for the crust
• Heat the oven up to the maximum temperature (normally 200- 220 degrees). While the oven is heating, chop the tomatoes in half and arrange on the pizza and finish with torn mozzarella and basil
• Once the oven is up to temperature place in the oven on a baking tray for 10-15 minutes until golden brown