Pizza Dough

This recipe provides a lovely springy, stretchy pizza dough and can also be used for freshly baked loaves or bread rolls. This dough can be tightly wrapped in cling film for refrigeration or freezing. See my recipe for pizza sauce here.

Makes three 12″ or four 9″ pizza bases

Ingredients

• 500g strong flour
• 1 heaped tsp salt
• 1 x 7g sachet dry bread yeast
• 2 tsp caster sugar
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 300ml lukewarm water (25°-30°C)

Method

1. Dissolve the sugar into the water and then add the yeast. Stir gently and then add the olive oil. Leave to stand for 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, sieve flour into a large mixing bowl and sprinkle the salt evenly over the surface
3. Make a well in the middle of the flour and gradually swirl in the yeast mixture while turning the flour to form into a dough
4. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead for 5 – 10 minutes or until dough is smooth and pliable
5. Form into a ball, place in a large, lightly floured bowl and sprinkle some flour over the top of it
6. Dampen a tea towel and cover the bowl with it. Leave the bowl in a warm place until the dough has at least doubled in size (usually about 1-1½ hours – this is called ‘proving’)
7. When the dough has doubled in size, remove from the bowl onto a floured surface and knock the air out of it by kneading

If you have pizza left over, it can be kept for a couple of days covered with clingfilm in the fridge. Many people make the mistake of using a microwave or a grill to reheat pizza. For excellent results, fry (yes fry!) slices on a dry pan over a medium heat loosely covered with tinfoil for a few minutes. The tinfoil circulates the heat to gently reheat the cheese and toppings, while the base gets warm and crispy on the pan.