A family favourite that the kids can help make and can be very easily tailored to suit different people’s tastes
Preparation time: 20 minutes, plus 30 minutes proving time
Cooking time: 12 minutes
You will need:
For the dough:
350ml warm water (made from ½ boiling and ½ cold)
1 tbsp dried yeast
1 tsp caster sugar
600g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
½ tsp fine sea salt
For the topping:
240g Tenderstem
300g passata (smooth Italian tomato sauce)
350g mozzarella, torn into bite sized pieces
120g chopped chorizo or equivalent weight in chopped ham
50g Parmesan cheese, grated
Method:
- Measure the water into a jug and sprinkle over the yeast and sugar. Stir well and set aside for 10 minutes, after which time a little beer-like head will have begun to form on the surface.
- Weigh the flour into a bowl and stir though the salt. Make a well in the middle and pour in the olive oil and the yeasty water. Use a metal spoon to stir and bring the dough roughly together then tip onto the work surface. Using a pushing and pulling action with the heel of your hands knead the dough for about 8 minutes until it is smooth and stretchy. Kids will love helping with this. When its ready, put into a clean, lightly oiled bowl and cover with a clean tea towel and leave to rise for 30 minutes.
- Blanch the Tenderstem in boiling water for 2 minutes, drain and allow to cool.
- Tip the dough onto a lightly floured worktop and cut into 4 pieces. Roll each piece to a rough circle of about 5 mm thick and lay each on a baking sheet. Preheat the oven to 220°C.
- Top each pizza by spreading out 2 or 3 tablespoons of passata in a thin layer, then divide the Tenderstem between each. Sprinkle over the mozzarella and chorizo and scatter over the parmesan. Bake each pizza in a hot oven for about 12 minutes until the crust is crisp and the cheese melted and bubbling.
Cooks tip:
For a vegetarian pizza, swap the chorizo/ham for sliced red peppers or halved cherry tomatoes, or for a super nutritious version, crack whole eggs into a well in the centre of the pizza.