Proper Margarita Pizza

Hello Lovelies,

I adapted this recipe from one of my favourite blogs The Londoner.  I have never found a really great pizza base until I stumbled across this one and as Rosie says "this is the only pizza base recipe you'll ever need.  Once you have made it, you'll soon know it by heart and be able to whip it up in a flash".  It is so simple and quick to make and super yummy.

Ingredients:

500g bread flour plus a tad more for kneading

1 tbsp of salt

1 7g sachet of dried yeast

1 tbsp golden sugar

2 tbsp of olive oil

330ml tepid water

This recipe makes enough for 4 medium pizzas.

If you store it in the fridge it should keep for up to a week. 

    

First thing to do is sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl, then make a well in the middle. 

Then grab your self a mixing jug and mix together your water, yeast, sugar and oil.
Then set it aside for a few mins before you pour it into the hollow you have made in the flour.

Once you have poured the liquid in, grab yourself a metal spoon and gently get mixing until it becomes a sticky dough.

Now for the fun part, its time to get kneading, so flour your surface, get your dough and knead it until it is soft and springy. 

When you are happy that your dough is kneaded enough, dust a bowl with flour, pop your dough in and sprinkle a little flour on top.  

You  will then need to leave your dough to prove, you can either leave it for an hour with a damp cloth/tea towel in a warm place, but (do not touch!)  
(Alternatively cover your bowl in cling film and pop it in the fridge overnight, however you need to take it out of the fridge at least half an hour before you want to use it).
After an hour your dough should have doubled in size. 

Now rip a piece of dough off, I tore mine into roughly four pieces then gave it another good knead before, grabbing a rolling pin and rolling out three pizza bases.

As very few of us have snazzy pizza ovens handy, the best way to get that lovely crispy pizza base is to pre-heat your oven to 220 degrees C, then pop in an upside down baking tray on the medium shelf.

While your makeshift pizza oven is heating up you can make your tomato sauce, to make this yummy addition to your pizza you will need:

1 tin of tomatoes

1 tsp of oregano

1 clove of garlic

1 tsp of salt.

You need to first drain your tinned toms so you are just left with the tomatoes, put them your oregano, garlic and salt into a food processor and blitz.  You will then be left with a yummy tomato sauce.   

After rolling it out you want to lay you dough on a lightly floured piece of tin foil.

Then all you have to do is smear your dough with a layer of tomato and your toppings of choice, I love mozzarella and pesto pizza, especially when it is made with fresh pesto (remember the recipe), but sadly at the moment I can't eat nuts or seeds so pesto is a no no.  Instead I opted for some fresh chopped tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella a yummy substitute.   

Once you have chosen your toppings lift the foil on top of your upside down tray and put it back in the oven for 10-12 mins until (it may vary slightly depending on your oven).

Then voilà you have a yummy guilt free pizza, enjoy!