Ingredients
For the Dough
- 225 g white ‘00’ flour
- 1 tsp instant yeast
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/2 tbsp rapeseed oil or extra virgin olive oil
- 320 ml warm water
For the Toppings
- 1 tin good italian peeled plum tomatoes
- pinch sea salt
- 2 cloves garlic sliced very finely using a mandolin
- 2 tbsp green olives sliced
- 2 tbsp capers drained
- 2 roasted red peppers (the kind served as antipasti from a jasliced into 1/2 cm ribbons
- 1/4 tsp dried oregano
- pinch salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
For Baking and Serving
- 1 tsp coarse semolina or corn meal
- small bunch fresh parsley
Instructions
To Make the Dough
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the dough hook, add the flour, yeast and salt. Mix briefly to combine on low speed. Add the oil and water and gradually increase the speed until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. When you reach medium high speed, leave the mixer to knead for 5 minutes. Once kneaded, remove the dough from the bowl with slightly damp hands and tun out onto a lightly floured surface. Slice the dough in half and form each half into a ball. Place on a floured baking tray, brush the top with oil and cover with a damp teatowel. Leave to prove for 40 minutes – an hour at room temperature.
- Once proved, working one ball of dough at a time, knock out the larger air bubbles with your finger tips, pressing the dough out flat. Folding the dough back onto itself, re-form a ball and place back on the tray, seam side down. Repeat with the other ball of dough. At this stage you can either cover and place in the fridge for a long prove (around 4-5 houror cover and leave in room temperature for another 40 – 50 mins.
- Prepare your toppings while the dough proves.
For the Toppings
- Tip the tin of tomatoes in a measuring jug, add the pinch of salt and blend with a stick blender or mash well with a potato masher.
- Measure out all the remaining toppings and lay out on a chopping board (you’ll need to work fast when the dough is ready).
To Assemble and Bake
- Turn the grill onto its highest setting and place a wire rack on the top shelf of the oven.
- Lightly dust the top of one ball of dough with flour. preserving as many air bubbles as possible, stretch the dough out with your two hands very gently. Drape the dough over your left fist and using your right hand, stretch out the dough slightly. Rotate the dough and stretch again, working your way around the whole circle of dough until you have a nice thin circle with a slightly thicker circumference where the crust will be. Lay it down on a lightly floured surface.Place your largest cast iron skillet or oven-proof frying pan over a medium heat. When hot, add half of your semolina (this will stop the pizza sticking).
- Working quickly, lift the stretched out dough and place it into the hot skillet (if it folds on itself, quickly straighten it out with your finger- reduce the heat to its lowest. Spread 4 tbsp of the tomato sauce onto the centre of the pizza and spread out with a spoon. Top with half of the garlic, capers, olives and roasted red peppers. Sprinkle with oregano, a pinch of salt and pepper and drizzle with a tbsp olive oil. If you like, brush the crust with olive oil using a pastry brush.
- Place the skillet under the grill, making sure the pan is as close to the heating element as possible. Grill for around 2 minutes, checking regularly to make sure its not burning. The crust should puff up nicely and brown around the edges. The toppings should be piping hot. Remove from the oven and turn out onto a chopping board. Top with parsley, slice and serve.
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