Simple pizza base
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Simple pizza base

By Lulu Grimes

Everyone’s favourite Friday food tastes so much better when homemade and topped with your favourite ingredients

  • Prep:15 mins
    Cook:18 mins
    Plus proving
  • Easy

Nutrition per serving

  • kcal 1192
  • fat 16g
  • saturates 2g
  • carbs 241g
  • sugars 4g
  • fibre 10g
  • protein 37g
  • salt 2.52g

Ingredients

  • 600g strong white bread flour, plus plenty for rolling
  • ½ tsp dried yeast
  • 2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
  • semolina, for dusting

Tip

Artichoke, olive & caper
Roll out your dough as directed, then spread over 4 tbsp ready-made tomato pizza or pasta sauce. Scatter over 8 halved cherry tomatoes, 4 quartered artichoke hearts from a jar, 8 halved, pitted green olives and 2 tbsp drained, rinsed capers. Tear a 125g ball of mozzarella over the top and bake for 18 mins. Finish with a handful of shaved Parmesan and some torn basil leaves.Ricotta, prosciutto & pesto
Soak ½ sliced onion in cold water for 5 mins, then drain and mix with 6 tbsp ricotta and some salt and pepper. Spread this onto your pizza base, then dot on 2 tbsp pesto. Arrange 6 prosciutto slices on top and bake for 18 mins. Finish with 2 large handfuls of rocket, some freshly milled black pepper and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.Spinach, blue cheese & walnut
Spread 6 tbsp ready-made tomato pasta or pizza sauce over the pizza base, then sprinkle with 6 tbsp grated Parmesan. Scatter over 100g baby spinach leaves and crumble on 75g blue cheese and 60g walnut pieces. Bake for 12 mins.Wild mushroom & mascarpone
Soak large handful dried wild mushrooms in boiling water. Meanwhile, mix 6 tbsp mascarpone with a crushed garlic clove. Season well. Heat 2 tsp olive oil and fry 6 sliced cap mushrooms until softening, then add the drained soaked mushrooms and 1 tsp thyme leaves. Spread the mascarpone mix on the pizza base and top with mushrooms. Bake for 12-18 mins, then sprinkle with 4 tbsp grated Parmesan. Return to the oven for 1 min and finish with extra thyme leaves.

Method

  1. Put the flour, yeast and 1 tsp salt into a large bowl. Stir in 500ml of slightly warm water and the oil. You should end up with a wettish dough that is rough and lumpy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, cover with a tea towel and if your kitchen is cool keep it out, but if it’s warm put it in the bottom of the fridge. Leave dough to rise for at least 6 hrs or until doubled in size.

  2. When ready to cook, bring the dough to room temperature. Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Dust 2-4 baking sheets with semolina. Dust the work surface with flour, then divide the dough into 2 or 4 pieces. Knead each piece on the floured surface, incorporating enough flour to stop the dough being sticky.

  3. Roll each piece into a pizza shape and lift onto baking sheets. Leave to rise for 10 mins while you sort toppings (see ideas, below). Top the bases with your chosen ingredients, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and bake following the timings for each topping (18 mins for a large pizza or 12 mins for an individual) or until the crust is crisp and the topping is bubbling.

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