Authentic Thin-crust Pizza

INGREDIENTS

Crust:190g water30g olive oil6g salt, fine and not iodised1 level teaspoon yeast
300g bread flour

Sauce:400g tomatoes (about 4 large), with skins- chopped roughly 20g olive oil½- 1 teaspoon salt3 cloves garlic, chopped roughly ¼ teaspoon oregano¼ teaspoon red chilli flakesPinch of sugar
Mozzarella and any other cheese, preferably a yellow oneBasil leaves, optional

METHOD

CrustMix together the ingredients and knead to a soft, elastic dough. Do not add more flour. Dough is very soft but this produces the most delicious pizza. Cover bowl well with Clingwrap and leave in the refrigerator for 12-18 hours. This is called cold proofing.
SauceIn a small pan on medium heat, cook the garlic and chili flakes in olive oil until fragrant but don't allow to brown!Now add the oregano, salt and tomatoes. The water from the tomatoes will hiss and sizzle so immediately reduce the heat to low. Cook for 15 minutes, then lightly puree your sauce. Add it back to the pan and allow to simmer on low for 20 minutes. Finally, give it a light sprinkle of sugar and allow to cool off.
Crust continuedRemove from refrigerator, punch down and divide into 2 equal balls. Leave the balls on a well floured tray. Dust with flour and cover with plastic. Leave to rest for about an hour.
When ready to start baking, preheat the oven to the hottest (ours is around 230°c fan assisted). You can use a baking steel or stone-preheat it as well.
Now start shaping your pizzas- you can throw the dough, stretch by hand or even use a rolling pin. Aim for a large 12 inch circle- You will get 2 of these. You may use flour now, as needed, so that it doesn't stick.
Bake them 1 at a time for only about 4 minutes until cooked through but not really browned. Cool on cooling rack.
AssemblyTop the pizzas with your sauce (you don't have to finish all, you can leave some for dipping), sprinkle generously with grated mozzarella and cheese. You could also add any other topping at this point but we love the classic.Grill in a very hot oven until toasty and cheese is melted: 2-3 minutes.Remove from oven and add torn basil leaves. Slice and serve hot!

INFO & TIPS

So worth it! This recipe really produces the best tasting pizza mashallah!

POSTED ON

20 Nov 2023

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