Now I’ll return to the matter at hand. Pizza. I have experimented a lot with pizza recipes over the years and have finally come up with the best pizza ever! It was quite simple really. I just turned to a traditional Italian recipe and strange as it may sound, the Italians make a great pizza! Traditional pizza should have a slightly sour yeasty crust that doesn’t rise after an initial proving. As with most recipes in Italy, the sauce should not overwhelm the rest of the dish. The pizza itself should be cooked in a clay oven or on a pizza stone.
Ingredients
Sauce Recipe (modified Gin Schelin):
2tablespoonsolive oil
2clovesgarlic finely chopped
1/4cuptomato puree
1tspsugar
2/3cupchopped onion
2cans tomato
small bunch of fresh basil roughly torn
1tspsalt
splash of malt vinegar
Crust Recipe: Based on a recipe by renowned Italian-American food writer Marcella Hazan
3cupsdurum wheat semolina flour )I like a mixture of 2c refined Italian semolina and 1c unrefined (usually found in health food stores.
2tspsea salt
1sachet dry yeast dissolved in 1 cup warm water
2tablespoonsolive oil
Instructions
Sauce:
Over low heat saute the onion and garlic in olive oil until translucent. Add remaining ingredients, crushing tomatoes with back of spoon. Simmer over low heat for a minimum of 50 minutes.
Crust:
Pour flour onto work surface or mixing bowl, make a hollow in the centre.
Fill the hollow with the salt, olive oil, and dissolved yeast. Mix all ingredients until they form a ball you can work with. Knead the dough for 8-10 minutes until it feels solid and slightly rubbery.
Put the dough in an oiled bowl and cover with a damp tea towel. Allow to rise for 3-4 hours until the dough has doubled in size.
Punch the dough down and roll out to form a circle.
Place the circle on a preheated pizza stone. I like some cornmeal sprinkled on the stone before adding the crust. That’s how my mom did it!
Ladle sauce onto circle, cover with cheese and toppings of your choice.