Homemade pizza

I am a fan of Papa John's pizzas but homemade has a different flavour and a different crust.
The dough recipe is from the 'Women's Institute Bread' by Liz Herbert. The first book we bought when we started baking bread at home.
The tomato sauce recipe is from a friend. It is the base for pizzas, bolognese and lasagne. A very resourceful sauce that freezes incredibly well.

Serves: 2 medium sized pizzas (30 cm diameter) - 2 persons.

Ingredients:

• For the base:
• 250g strong white bread flour
• ½ tsp salt
• ¾ tsp fast action dried yeast
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 150ml hand-hot water
• For the tomato sauce (this is enough for 4 medium sized pizzas):
• 1 medium sized onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 bay leaf, whole
• 3 cloves, whole
• 50ml white wine
• 400g can of chopped tomatoes
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• For the topping (quantities are per medium pizza):
• Pizza Margherita: 
• 2 x 125g ball of mozzarella
• basil leaves - only add after the pizza is out of the oven!
• Chicken pizza: 
• 125g grated mozzarella
• 1 chicken thigh without bones, cooked
• ½ red onion, sliced
• ½ bell pepper, sliced
• Anchovies pizza:
• 125g grated mozzarella
• ½ red onion, sliced
• 3 tbsp capers
• 30g anchovies
• dried oregano

Equipment: 2 pizza trays - 30 cm diameter.

Method:

1. Make the dough for the pizza base:
1. Combine the flour, salt and yeast in a bowl. Do not put the salt on top of the yeast as that will kill it, instead add them to different parts of the bowl. Make a well in the center and pour in the olive oil and water. Mix to a soft dough.
2. Turn out on to a floured work surface and knead for 5-10 min until smooth. 
   
3. Cover and prove in a warm place until doubled in size, usually about 1 hour.
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. Make the tomato sauce:
1. Fry the onion, garlic, bay leaf and cloves in olive oil for 10 min.
2. Add the wine and simmer until absorbed.
3. Add the tomatoes, tomato puree and oregano and let it simmer for 15 min.
4. Remove the bay leaf and the cloves and blitz to a pulp.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste and more oregano if desired.
3. Prepare the onions and peppers:
1. Fry the onions in olive oil until soft.
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. Fry the peppers in olive oil until half-cooked.
   
4. Divide the dough in two and roll out to a ball each.
   
5. Each ball needs to be stretched by hand, slowly and working around the dough, from center to edge, until if forms a rough 30 cm circle that fits on the pizza tray. The last 10 cm stretch will need to be done on the tray as the wider the circle gets the more likely it is for the dough to tear with gravity. This is the most difficult step of making pizza!
6. Spread the tomato sauce to within 2.5 cm of the edge.
   
7. Add the ingredients to the pizza.
   
   
   
   
   
   
8. Bake at 230°C for 10-12 min until the base is crisp and the cheese as melted.

Delish!

I only bough 1 ball of mozzarella so I made a half & half pizza, half Margherita and half anchovies.

I had leftover chicken from the 'Roasted chicken with chorizo & cabbage and mashed potato' recipe from a few days ago so I decided to use it on the pizza. Leftovers are a great excuse to make pizza. Any combination will do. Experiment!