Ingredients
375ml hot tap water
Pinch of caster sugar
7gm dried yeast (1 sachet)
600gm pizza flour
1tsp salt
60ml olive oil
Extra olive oil for brushing
Plain flour for dusting
Semolina for dusting
Equipment
rolling pin
plastic wrap
baking paper
30cm pizza pan
pizza stone
pizza peel
pizza cutter
four serving plates
Method
1. Place pizza stone into oven, heat to 230° for an hour.
2. Combine the water, yeast and sugar in a small bowl. Set aside for 5 minutes until foamy.
3. Combine the pizza flour and salt in a large bowl and make a well in the centre.
4. Add the yeast mixture and oil, using a round-bladed knife in a cutting motion to mix until the mixture is combined. Use your hands to bring the dough together in the bowl.
5. Brush a separate bowl lightly with oil.
6. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, 5-10 minutes.
7. Place the dough in the oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm, draught-free place to rise until the dough doubles in size, at least 30 minutes
8. Divide dough into quarters in the bow.
9. Dust work surface with flour. take a quarter of dough and knead it for a few minutes, prodding it and shaping into a small circle.
10. Use a flour-dusted rolling pin to roll the dough outwards into a thin 30cm disc.
11. Place a square of baking paper over a 30cm pizza pan, dust it with semolina and place the dough on the pan. Brush with a little olive oil to stop it from drying out.
12. Repeat with other quarters, placing them on semolina-dusted backing paper on three of the serving plates.
13. Prepare the first pizza on the pan with topping.
14. Take the pizza stone out of the oven (use oven mitts!), dust with semolina, and use the baking paper to slide the pizza from the pan to the stone, keeping the paper under the pizza. Avoid touching the stone as it is super hot.
15. Put the stone with the pizza into the oven and bake for five minutes.
16. Prepare the next pizza by sliding it with the paper from a plate to the pan and adding topping.
17. Open the oven door and slide the paper from under the pizza. Discard the paper and bake the pizza for a further 5-8 minutes or until golden and crispy.
18. Remove the stone from the oven and use a pizza peel to transfer it to chopping block. Transfer the next pizza with topping from pan to stone keeping the paper underneath.
19. Replace the stone in the oven and bake as previous.
20. Use a pizza cutter to cut pizza on block into six segments, transfer to a plate and serve.
21. Repeat until all pizzas served.
Serves four
Notes
This method takes about two hours preparation (30+ minutes of which is quiet time while the dough rests), plus four x 10-13 minutes cooking. It’s worth giving yourself the full three hours so you enjoy the process and don’t feel rushed. Typically, I’ll listen to the radio, open a bottle of wine, start at about 5.30pm and serve the last pizza (my own) by about 8.20pm.
Using the baking paper seems wasteful but makes the whole process much easier and safer from burning fingers. Taking it out from under the pizza halfway through cooking helps crisp up the bottom.
The semolina helps everything slide on and off the pan and the stone, and doesn’t affect the flavour at all.
You might prefer to use olive oil spray to coat the resting bowl and on the pizzas to prevent them drying out.
Pizza flour absorbs less water than plain flour, making the dough easier to knead and make elastic, and is ideal for making a crisp then pizza in a hot oven.
Toppings are a matter of choice. Pictured, from top to bottom, are:
* Prawns, garlic & spinach on a tomato base
* Parsley, ham, bacon & pepperoni on a tomato base
* Spinach, rocket, mushroom & blue cheese on an olive oil base
* Spinach, parsley, mushroom, ham, anchovies & olives on a tomato base
