Ingredients
For the tomato sauce
olive oil 3 tbsp
onion 1, finely chopped
garlic 1 clove, finely chopped
chopped tinned tomatoes 2 x 400g tins
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
basil leaves 5
For the dough
00 flour 500g, plus extra for dusting
fresh yeast 4g
extra virgin olive oil 1 tbsp
fine sea salt 1 tsp
For the topping
tomato sauce 4 ladlefuls (see above)
cow’s milk mozzarella 4 x 125g
extra virgin olive oil 4 tbsp
dried oregano a little
fresh basil leaves a handful
Method
For the tomato sauce, heat the olive oil in a pan, add the chopped onion and garlic and cook gently until the onion is soft and translucent, taking care not to burn the garlic. Add the tinned tomatoes, then rinse out a tin with water and add to the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat and cook very gently for 30 minutes. Tear the basil leaves roughly and scatter into the sauce. Set aside to cool.
Mix all the ingredients for the dough with 300mI water (at room temperature). Divide into 4, then roll each piece into a ball and put on a tray, spacing them well apart. Cover with clingfilm and put into the fridge overnight, where they will expand slightly. Four hours before you want to bake the pizza, remove the balls of dough from the fridge and allow them to come slowly to room temperature. During this time they will prove a little more.
Preheat the oven to 220C/gas mark 7 and put in a baking tray or trays to heat up – if you have some baking stones, better still. Dust your work surface lightly with flour. Take each ball of dough and gently push and stretch it with your fingertips until it is about 3-4mm thick. Spoon a ladleful of tomato sauce on to each one and spread over the surface. Dot some mozzarella over the top. Drizzle each pizza with a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and finish with a pinch of dried oregano. Slide the pizzas, two at a time, on to your hot trays or stones and bake for 10 minutes, until the edges turn dark brown and the mozzarella has melted. Remove them from the oven and scatter over some basil leaves.
