PIZZA MARGHERITA

/ Serves 4

Enzo Coccia from Naples is an encyclopaedia of pizza knowledge. He has perfected the art of pizza making and turned it into a science. Like all top chefs, he controls every aspect of the process: the quality of the ingredients – from the flour and water to the toppings – the humidity when proving and the oven temperature are all key to the end result. Enzo only cooks his pizzas for 45 seconds because his wood-burning oven reaches 465°C! Without a wood burner, it is difficult to replicate his pizzas at home, but here are a few tips I picked up that will improve your pizza making:

• Leave the dough to prove for 10 hours. This helps develop the flavour of the crust.
• Don’t put too much sauce and topping on the pizza as it will make the base soggy and it won’t cook through.
• Use the very best ingredients you can find. Enzo uses the local San Marzano tomatoes, which are sweet. If you’re lucky enough to live near an Italian deli, you may be able to get them in tins, otherwise use tinned cherry tomatoes as they are less acidic.
• Use a combination of mozzarella and fresh Parmesan; the creamy mozzarella is balanced with the salty Parmesan.
• Always drizzle your pizza with a little olive oil before baking.

PREP: 30 minutes

PROVE: 10–12 hours

BAKE: 8–10 minutes per pizza

for the pizza dough:

300g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon instant yeast

180ml cold water

olive oil, for greasing

for the tomato sauce:

1 x 400g tin of cherry tomatoes

1 clove of garlic, crushed

½ teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon olive oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper

for the topping:

buffalo mozzarella

grated Parmesan cheese

olive oil, for drizzling

fresh basil leaves, to serve

equipment:

silicone baking mat (if you don’t have silicone, a heavily floured baking sheet will also work) and a pizza stone or flat baking tray

1. To make the pizza dough, place the flour in a bowl and add the salt to one side and the yeast to the other. Gradually add the water and mix to form a soft dough. You may not need to use all the water.
2. Turn the dough out on to an oiled work surface and knead for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic. Cut off a small piece of the dough and stretch part of it as thinly as you can. If you can see the shadow of your fingers through the dough (the light should shine through the dough like a windowpane) without tearing, it is ready to prove. Shape the dough into a ball, place in a bowl, cover and leave to rest for 15 minutes.
3. Make the tomato sauce by tipping the tin of tomatoes into a frying pan. On a medium to high heat, cook until the liquid has evaporated. Squash the cherry tomatoes with a wooden spoon and stir until you have a thick sauce. Turn off the heat and stir in the remaining sauce ingredients. Leave to cool.
4. Divide the dough into four balls, cover loosely and leave somewhere cool for 10–12 hours.
5. Stretch or roll the dough into thin 22cm circles. Place a circle on a piece of silicone so the pizza can be easily transferred to the oven later. If you don’t have silicone, a heavily floured baking sheet will also work.
6. Place a pizza stone or flat baking tray on the top shelf in your oven and heat to 220°C/Gas 7. If your oven has a fan setting with grill, then use this but keep your eye on the pizza to avoid it burning. Place the pizza dough on the hot tray and bake for 2 minutes. This will start to cook the pizza.
7. Remove the part-cooked pizza base from the oven and spread a little of the tomato sauce over the base. Add chunks of the mozzarella cheese and sprinkle with Parmesan. Drizzle over a little olive oil. Return the pizza back to the oven and bake for 6 to 8 minutes, or until the base is golden brown and the topping is bubbling. Repeat with the remaining pizzas. Sprinkle with fresh basil leaves just before serving.