Pizza - Who needs Goodfellas

Pizza is one of my weaknesses and I love a good one. The chipper in Blarney makes a wicked one but now and then it is nice to make your own. You have to plan it as the dough needs a bit time to rise - just like bread but the result is worth the effort. You can make your own tomato sauce or use red pesto (brush it thinly over the base as it might have an overpowering flavour). The hardest part after kneading the dough is to choose what you put on your pizza. The following recipe is based on an idea I got from Jamie Oliver - he replaces part of the strong flour with semolina. This combination gives you a nice crisp finish to the base - it is also easier to roll out thinly (I personally love the thin base rather then the deep one). 

Who needs Goodfellas - Enjoy

Today I made my cheat tomato sauce - I simply took a tin of chopped tomatoes and smashed them up, adding a few herbs and et voila your own tomato sauce. Of course you can go the mile and make a proper one. I used mozzarella and Boursain cheese on mine and salami, chorizo, blue cheese and mozzarella for Mr T. A nice glass of red and we were ready to have a lovely and easy meal.

You will need:

• 400g strong bread flour
• 100g semolina
• salt
• 1 sachet of dried yeast (or 25g of fresh yeast)
• 325ml warm water
• 1tsp caster sugar
• toppings of your choice

Mix the flour and semolina with the salt into a bowl. Stir the yeast and sugar in the warm water and set aside until spongy.

Mix the water-yeast mixture into the flour and mix to form a loose dough. Turn out onto a floured surface and start kneading until it forms a smooth ball. 

Put into a bowl and cover and leave to rise near a warm place - about an hour - until it has doubled in size.

Knock back and knead again until smooth. Roll out on a floured surface and put dough round onto a floured baking tray. Cover with your toppings and bake at 180C for about 15 mins or until done (time depends on the amount of topping you have).

Slide onto a plate (I love to use round wooden boards), pour yourself a glass of wine and enjoy and wonder why you ever bought a frozen pizza.

Bon Appetit