A classic pizza recipe that's perfect for Summer.
Everyone knows that the best-tasting tomatoes are picked in Summer when the heat of the sun ripens them to a gorgeous red with the most amazing aroma. There is no better way to enjoy them than on a classic pizza, simple to make and nothing beat's the pleasure of making your own from scratch.
Summer Tomato Pizza
Ingredients
Pizza Base
- 500g (3⅓ cups) Strong bread flour
- 7g (1 sachet) Dried Yeast
- 1 tsp Caster sugar
- 300ml Warm water
- 3 tsp Olive oil
- 15g Sea salt
Tomato Sauce
- 1 Medium Brown onion, diced
- 2 Cloves Garlic, chopped
- 1kg Vine-ripened tomatoes, diced
- 3 tbsp Olive oil
- Salt to taste
To Finish
- 1 cup Sliced cherry tomatoes
- 125gm Buffalo mozzarella
- 1/2 cup Basil leaves
Method
- To make the pizza dough, place all the ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer (starting with flour) and mix on low speed until everything comes together and a smooth elastic dough has formed, cover with a damp cloth and leave in a warm area to prove until doubled in size. You can also make the dough by hand on a kitchen counter if you don't have a stand mixer, just be prepared for a workout! It will take about an hour to prove.
- For the sauce, heat a medium-sized saucepan on medium heat and add olive oil, onions and garlic and saute slowly until the onions are soft and translucent (about 8mins), add the diced tomatoes and a pinch of salt stir well and allow to simmer until reduced by a third (about 30mins). Stir every so often as the sauce will catch and burn. Once ready and cooled down you can leave it chunky or if you prefer blend it until smooth.
- To make the pizzas, cut the dough into two and roll into tight balls and leave to rest for 5mins before rolling flat on some more flour or semolina (note do this on a pizza paddle as it is easier to transfer to the oven if using a pizza stone or straight onto a heavy baking tray if you don't have one on hand), spread a decent amount of your pizza sauce over the rolled bases and spread out some torn pieces of mozzarella over the sauce, finish with a drizzle of olive oil and some sea salt before placing into a preheated oven at 230c. Bake for 12-20mins or until the base is cooked through and risen.
- To serve pizzas, cut into 8 and place on a serving plate, cover with sliced cherry tomatoes, some more mozzarella and fresh basil and finish with a drizzle of olive oil and some sea salt.
Note: If short on time we also have an authentic Italian pizza sauce ready to go in store.
Happy cooking Spooners!
We would love to see your finished creations, tag us using #theredspoonco on Instagram or Facebook!