Simple pizza base

Simple pizza base

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

Difficulty and servings

Easy

Makes 2 large or 4 individual pizzas

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 15 mins

Cook time

Cook 12 - 18 mins

plus proving
Freezable

Freeze dough only

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.
Try

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.

PER PIZZA BASE

1192 kcalories, protein 37g, carbohydrate 241g, fat 16 g, saturated fat 2g, fibre 10g, sugar 4g, salt 2.52 g

Recipe from Good Food magazine, March 2011.

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Latest comments and suggestions

  • 19 February 2011

    AmyVitality// commented on this recipe

    Why does this say ready in 6 hours, when it only takes 30min?

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  • 04 March 2011

    Madeleine commented on this recipe

    my guess is proofing - the base needs to be left for quite a while.

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  • 04 March 2011

    **Flora** commented on this recipe

    How does one portion have 1192 kcalories??!

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  • 28 May 2011

    Nikki Downs rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    Simple to make, I made it with my 2 year old. She loved rolling out the dough and picking her topping and putting it on herself.

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  • 29 August 2011

    Elizabeth rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Delicious toppings and easy to make.

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  • 05 March 2012

    DanT rated and commented on this recipe

    2 stars

    Really didn't work. Followed the recipe to the letter, ended up with a bowl of what rather looked and felt like phlegm. Not sure what happened - maybe my kitchen's the wrong temperature.

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  • 12 April 2012

    NAtalie commented on this recipe

    Has anyone frozen this? Was it ok?

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  • 17 June 2012

    delgy rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Very simple recipe and tastes better than any pizza you can buy. Freezing the left over dough also works.

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  • 30 April 2013

    vonnie commented on this recipe

    I would to freeze the leftover dough, does anyone know if it can be frozen as dough or if it needs to be par baked

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Difficulty and servings

Easy

Makes 2 large or 4 individual pizzas

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 15 mins

Cook time

Cook 12 - 18 mins

plus proving
Freezable

Freeze dough only

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
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PER PIZZA BASE

1192 kcalories, protein 37g, carbohydrate 241g, fat 16 g, saturated fat 2g, fibre 10g, sugar 4g, salt 2.52 g

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