Recipe: DIY Pizza

Sure, it’s easy enough to go and buy a pizza from the supermarket (or order a takeaway), but where’s the fun in that? Making your own pizza is super-easy and super-cheap, and when you see just how few toppings you need to use, you’ll wonder how businesses can get away with charging so much.

To make this pizza, I used Cirio’s Classico Passata and Supercirio tomato puree, both of which were included in my May Degustabox subscription – along with random bits and pieces I had in my fridge and freezer, including sweetcorn, Saint Agur cheese, salami and more. DIY pizza is a great way of using up little bits of things that you have left over – and for even more variety, try different toppings on different halves or quarters of your pizza…

This recipe makes two 25cm pizzas.

Ingredients

BASE:

– 300g bread flour
– 1 tsp salt
– 1 tsp instant yeast
– 200ml warm water
– 1 tbsp olive oil

SAUCE:

– 150ml Cirio Classica Passata
– 1 tbsp Supercirio tomato puree
– 1-2 cloves of garlic, crushed

TOPPINGS:

– Grated cheese (mozzarella or cheddar, depending on your taste)
– Whatever you have to hand in your fridge, freezer and cupboards.

Some ideas:

Freezer: sweetcorn, other vegetables…
Fridge: meats and cheeses, artichokes/sundried tomatoes/roasted peppers in oil, seafood, vegetables…
Store cupboard: tinned anchovies, various herbs and spices, pine nuts…

Method

1. Sift the flour into a large bowl, and add the salt and yeast. Stir until well combined.

2. Make a well in the middle of the mixture and pour in the flour and olive oil. Combine with a wooden spoon until the dough is soft and still fairly wet, and all of the ingredients have been mixed in.

3. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface, and knead well for 5 minutes, until smooth. Either use immediately for a thin crust, or leave to rise if you like, for a thicker crust. If leaving to rise, cover with a clean tea towel and put to one side.

4. In a separate bowl, mix the passata, tomato puree and garlic until well combined.

5. If you’ve left the dough to rise, knead it briefly before using. Split the dough into two balls, and roll each one out in turn on a floured work surface. Your pizzas should each be around 25cm in diameter – make sure it’s thin, as the bases will rise in the oven.

6. Sprinkle two baking trays (large enough to fit the bases) with flour, and transfer each base to a separate tray.

7. Preheat your oven to 240C/220C fan/Gas Mark 8.

8. Spoon the sauce over the bases, leaving a small crust around the edges. Top with your chosen toppings (note: any raw meat should be cooked before it is used to top the pizza!), finishing with a sprinkling of grated cheese. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper if desired, and bake in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes.

Recipe submitted by…

Emily Knight
Bristol
www.breaksandbites.co.uk