More Pizza Please

My Pizza

The Vegetarian's Pizza

Having spent lots of money on dinner last night I decided to do things cheaply today and use up the Italian ‘00’ flour in my cupboard and make pizza for lunch. I made the dough this morning and while I waited for it to rise, the Vegetarian and I took our little dog Sally for a long walk on Hampstead Heath. When we got back we had lots of fun trying to spin the dough the Italian way with many attempts just missing the floor. 

For the toppings I had tomato sauce, mozzarella, asparagus, char-grilled artichokes and Parma ham. The Vegetarian had mushrooms instead of Parma ham.

325g Italian ‘00’ Flour

7g sachet of easy-blend yeast

1tsp salt

Glug of olive oil

25ml warm milk

160ml warm water

To make the dough mix the flour, yeast and salt together in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the olive oil and milk and gradually add the water, mixing well to form a soft dough.

Turn the dough out on to a floured work surface and knead for about five minutes, until smooth and elastic. Transfer to a clean bowl, cover with a damp tea towel and leave to rise in a warm place for about an hour. The dough will double in size.

When the dough has risen, knock it back and knead it again until smooth.

Heat the oven to the highest setting.

Divide the dough in two and roll each out onto a lightly floured surface until you have about an 8inch diameter.  Hold the dough in your hands and gently

Spread a little homemade tomato sauce over each pizza base and top with your favourite toppings.

Bake the pizzas in the oven until the bases are crisp and golden-brown around the edges and any cheese on the topping has melted.