Pizza Margherita
“There's no need to go out when you can have it all at home.”
Pizza dough
- 1 tsp dried yeast
- 100mL warm water
- 200g plain flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 11/2 tbsp olive oil
Topping
- 200g tinned Italian tomatoes, strained well then mashed with a fork or pureed in the food processor
- 100g mozzarella cheese, grated
- Salt and pepper
- 2 sprigs fresh basil leaves
Fast food at home.
Method
Pre-heat oven to 250C.
For the dough
Place the yeast in a small bowl and add the warm water, stir with a spoon until the yeast is dissolved. Set aside in a warm place for 5-10 minutes or until frothy.
Sift the flour and the salt
together in a large bowl and make a well in the centre. When the yeast mixture
is frothy, pour it into the well. Add about half the olive oil and, using your
fingers, gradually mix the flour and water until a dough begins to form. Take it
out of the bowl and place on a lightly floured work bench. Add the rest of the
oil and continue mixing until you have a smooth ball of dough. Knead the dough
for about 5 minutes or until it is smooth and elastic and then put it in a
clean, lightly oiled bowl. Turn it over to coat with oil. Cover with plastic
wrap and leave in a warm place until the dough has risen and doubled in size.
(This can take from 40 minutes to an hour, depending on the weather.)
Briefly
knead the dough again and form into a ball, place back in the bowl, cover again
for about 20 minutes or until risen.
Cut dough into two pieces and flatten
each. Use a rolling pin to roll dough out into two circles the same size as the
pizza pans. Lightly oil the pizza pans and carefully lift the dough onto the
pans.
Cover base with the tomato mixture, leaving a 1cm border around the
edges. Top each pizza with mozzarella and season with salt and pepper.
Bake
in a very hot oven for 5-8 minutes or until cooked and crispy. Sprinkle with
basil and serve hot.
Makes 2 small pizzas (18-22cm) or 1 large pizza (30-38cm).
