Authentic Italian Pizza

Servings: 4
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Ready In: 40 minutes

Ingredients:
For the pizza dough
5 tsp (10g) of fresh yeast or 5g dried yeast
1 cup (220ml) of Birra Moretti at room temperature
1/2 cup (125ml) of tepid water
3 & 1/2 cups (500g) of strong bread flour or ‘0’ flour
2 tsp salt

For the topping:
2 cups (400g) of Italian tinned plum tomatoes
1 heaped tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil

A little semolina for dusting under the pizza
2 x 125g balls of Mozzarella, drained and sliced
A handful of fresh basil leaves

Directions:
1. Add the yeast to the beer and water, then mix with the flour and salt. Knead for 8– 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic. Shape into a ball, put in an oiled bowl and cover with cling film or a tea-towel. Leave in a warm, draught-free spot to rise until doubled in size. After the dough has risen, split it into four even-sized balls and leave to rise until doubled in size again. Meanwhile, make the tomato sauce: put the tomatoes in a bowl and squash them into pieces with your hands or blend with a stick blender. Add the oregano, the salt and the oil, and stir well.

2. Bake the pizzas two at a time. Put two baking trays, spaced apart, upside-down in the oven. This gives a flat surface to cook each pizza on. Have a thin wooden chopping board or pala (a thin piece of wood or metal used for transferring the pizza to the oven) and the semolina nearby.

3. Preheat the oven to its hottest setting 482 - 536°F (250 - 280˚C) is perfect. Roll out the dough on a floured surface. Scatter some semolina onto the board or pala, pull the first pizza onto it and spread over a tablespoon of tomato sauce. Top with a quarter of the mozzarella and/or other toppings. Slide the pizza into the oven and quickly pull the board or pala away so that it glides onto the hot, upturned oven tray. Repeat with the second pizza. Bake for 7–10 minutes. The bases should be golden underneath and the cheese bubbling. Garnish with the basil leaves and serve. Bake the second batch of pizzas in the same way.