28 Jun Mozzarella pizza
Making a good homemade pizza is possible! And you’ll all be thinking that the key is in the pizza dough. Well it’s an important point, that’s for sure, but there are other aspects like cheese or mozzarella for make an excellent pizza.
Ingredients for 2 pizzas
For the base
- 500g strong plain flour
- 10g fresh yeast
- 2 tsp salt
For the topping
- 400g can chopped tomatoes, well drained
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Small handful fresh basil leaves
- Small handful thyme leaves, optional
- 200g buffalo mozzarella cheese
- Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Method
For the base
Sift the flour into a large bowl. In another bowl, mix the yeast with a little warm water until it begins to foam. Slowly add to the flour and mix to form a dough. If it’s too sticky, add more flour. Cover the bowl with a clean cloth and leave to rest for five minutes.
Add the salt to the dough, then turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about ten minutes until smooth. Cover with a damp cloth and let it prove for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to its highest setting. Cut the dough in half and knead for a minute or so, making sure you really knock it back.
Press the dough out very thinly to make two circles about 40cm across, leaving the edges slightly thicker, like the edge of a plate. Place the dough circles onto floured baking sheets.
For the topping
Season the tomatoes with salt and freshly ground black pepper and spread over each dough base (you probably won’t need the whole tin). Sprinkle over the basil leaves, thyme leaves, if using, and mozzarella, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and drizzle over some oil.
Place the pizzas into the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the base is crisp and the cheese is bubbling.