Make the extra effort to do this recipe. You won’t regret it. It could be your staple dish to make when people come over. The great thing is once all the toppings are on and you’re good to go, you leave the pizza to rise one more time for half an hour. That gives you enough time to clean up, platter up some appetizers and have a beer.
You’ll need:
- Olive oil
- Semolina (make the purchase, it’s worth it)
- 1 3/4 cup warm water
- 1 tablespoon rapid-rise yeast
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 41/2 – 51/2 cups bread flour
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1 sprig of basil, chopped
- chives, or any herb you prefer
- artichoke hearts
- char grilled capsicum (red peppers in U.S land)
- sliced red onion
- sliced ham and/or Italian sausage. Use chorizo if you can find it.
- sliced mushrooms
- goats cheese, sliced
- parmesan cheese, grated
- cheery tomatoes, sliced in half
- Line a baking sheet with baking paper. Smear olive oil on the sheet and dust with semolina. In a mixer bowl, whisk by hand the warm water and yeast. Let it stand for three minutes so it disolves.
- Whisk in sugar, eggs, oil and salt. Add flour, mix with a wooden spoon and knead if necessary to form a soft dough. Put the dough back in the bowl, sprinkle a little bit of olive oil on the top and cover with cling wrap. Put in a warm place, such as the top of the fridge, for 1/2 an hour.
- Chop all of the toppings to any size you like. In a small bowl, mix the tomato paste, garlic and basil. Season with salt and pepper.
- Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and let rest for ten minutes. Lightly roll out the dough to a large rectangle or circle.
- Brush the surface with tomato paste mixture. Distribute toppings.
- Turn oven to 350 Fahrenheit (175 Celsius). Cover the pizza with cling wrap again and let rest for 30 mins.
- Bake until golden brown on the edges, approx 25 minutes. Cut, enjoy.
