Pizza bases!!

PIZZAS!!!! Oh my, they are my favourite thing in the world.. husband, dogs, family and friends included... PS sorry not sorry you lot!

We had an outdoor wood fired pizza oven installed a while back at home and it’s literally the best money I have ever parted with. I have shared this recipe with a few friends with great results in a conventional oven first time and every time so I want to share it with you so you know you can make unreal pizzas at home quite easily.

I have been perfecting this recipe for a long time and this is, in general a decent non fail one. I have recommendations on flour and yeast brands which I am totally happy to share if you would like, just let me know.

Pizza dough is a thing that gets better every time you try. The first time you do this you will be amazed at how simple it is and how good it tastes. Next time you will be utterly amazed that it tastes better than the first time and so on and so on. It is something that grows with you and your taste for flavours. Play with it. It’s such a great thing.. enjoy 🤓

Ingredients

• 1kg Italian 00 tipo flour

• 15g of Instant yeast

• Teaspoon of salt

• Teaspoon of sugar

• 600ml of tepid water

• Splash of olive oil

METHOD -

Combine flour (leave a small amount out for kneading), sugar, salt and yeast together in a large bowl (There is no need to dissolve the yeast in water) then make a well in the middle.

Mix the water with the olive oil in a jug and add it to the well a bit at a time bringing the flour in with a fork. Keep adding the water until it’s all gone and you start to form a dough ball. Use your hands if a fork gets too difficult.

Turn it out onto a flat clean surface and knead/stretch it until you have a smooth springy ball (add more flour if it gets too sticky) Maybe 5-10 mins depending on the weather temp.

Oil a large bowl, sides too, put the dough ball in the bowl turning it over so it’s covered in the oil.

Cling film it nice and tight and leave to prove. I usually leave mine 2 or 3 hours but the longer the better, again it depends on the weather a bit too. It should be minimum of double the size of when it started.

When you’re ready, pull the dough from the bowl and put it back on a floured (plain flour is fine at this stage if you are out of tipo) flat surface. Knead a couple of times then split into smaller balls with a knife. There is no need for a second prove.

This recipe will make 6/8 pizza bases. They will last a few days if you cover up what you don’t use and fridge it or it can be frozen too. If you don’t want to make this many you can half all the ingredients to make 4 bases.

Either hand stretch or use a rolling pin with plenty of flour to shape into your bases. I like them pretty thin, maybe 2/3mm thick but each to there own.

To bake in an oven -

Heat your oven to the max and pre heat either a pizza stone (not essential) or a good sized baking tray for 15mins or so.

Whilst this is heating, get ready to work fast to put your toppings on once the tray or stone is out..

Pull your stone or tray out of the oven, flour well so the base doesn’t stick and put your rolled base straight onto the tray.

Add your tomato sauce to the base (will also post THE best tomato sauce for this next) mozzarella is a given and then whatever your poison may be 😈

Bake for maybe 10mins or so but keep watching it! When bubbling and golden yank it out and enjoy!

Practice definitely makes perfect with homemade pizzas, it’s a learning curve but each time gets better and better