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Homemade Pizza Margherita

A big takeaway-style margherita from scratch for about £1.40, around 35p a portion. Hour of rising, 12 minutes in a hot oven.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients
  

  • 300 g plain or strong white flour, plus extra for dusting
  • 1 sachet (7 g) dried yeast
  • 1/2 tsp caster sugar
  • 200 ml warm water
  • 1 tbsp olive oil, plus a little extra
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 200 g tinned chopped tomatoes
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed or finely chopped
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 125 g mozzarella ball, torn into pieces
  • pinch of salt for the sauce

Method
 

  1. Stir the yeast and sugar into the warm water and leave for 5 minutes until foamy. If it does not foam, the yeast is dead and the dough will not rise, so start again with a fresh sachet.
  2. Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl, add the yeasty water and the olive oil, and bring together into a rough dough. Knead on a work surface for 5-8 minutes until smooth and springy.
  3. Shape into a ball, put it back in the bowl with a wipe of oil round it, cover with a damp tea towel and leave somewhere warm for about an hour until doubled in size.
  4. Meanwhile make the sauce: put the tomatoes, garlic, oregano and a pinch of salt in a small pan and simmer for 10 minutes until thick and no longer watery. Season to taste, it should taste slightly too strong on its own because the dough will dilute it.
  5. Heat the oven to its highest setting, 240C/220C fan or hotter, with a baking sheet inside to heat up. Push the risen dough out on a floured surface into a 30cm round, pressing from the middle outwards and leaving a slightly thicker rim.
  6. Slide the base onto the hot sheet, spread over the sauce, scatter the mozzarella and drizzle with a little oil. Bake for 10-14 minutes until the edges are puffed and golden and the middle is bubbling. Rest for a couple of minutes before cutting.