Pizza

Wendy Barrie: Food writer

This recipe can use any left over cheese, vegetables or cooked meat for toppings.

Ingredients: serves 2 - 4

Pizza Base:

225 g plain flour
½ level tsp salt
1 sachet easy blend yeast (6g sachet)
150 ml water (warm, not too hot)
30 ml rapeseed oil (or light vegetable oil)
pizza toppings (These pizza toppings can include a variety of things that you have around your kitchen, including: salami, mushrooms, leftover vegetables etc.)
50 g cheddar cheese (or a combination)

Tomato Sauce:

Method:

Pizza Base:

Sprinkle flour over the baking tray in readiness for pizza.
Mix flour, salt and yeast in a mixing bowl. Make a well in the centre.
Add warm water and oil. Mix to a soft dough.
Gather the dough together with your hand and knead on a lightly floured surface for 10(yes 10) minutes until the dough is smooth. This is important to develop the structure in the dough.
Pre heat oven 220°C / 425°F / Gas Mark 7.
Meanwhile make the tomato sauce.
Divide the dough into four (or two) and roll and shape into neat pizza bases. Place on baking tray and place in a warm - not hot - place to rise for 15 minutes. You will see the dough 'grow' in size.
Spoon sauce over pizza bases, leaving a rim.
Decorate with toppings, cutting into strips and placing on top of sauce. Sprinkle over cheese.
Bake for approx 8 to 10 minutes until the top bubbles and the dough looks golden.

Tomato Sauce:

To make sauce, heat oil in small pan and cook onion with garlic until soft and translucent.
Add remaining sauce ingredients and simmer gently for approximately 5 minutes until the tomatoes are reduced and the sauce thickens. Set aside.

To serve:

Makes 2 medium pizzas, or 4 smaller pizzas for a light meal.

Recipe tips:

Sprinkle flour over the baking tray in readiness for pizza.