Pizza dough is simply bread without the second proving. I can assure you that this basic recipe will knock the socks off any breadmachine dough, and you’ll be surprised by just how easy it is to get delicious results. It doesn’t take as long as you’d think and much like baking bread, it’s brilliantly satisfying.

This recipe will easily make 4 large pizzas.

Ingredients:

• 1kg Tipo (00) Flour
• 1tsp Salt
• 14g Dried Yeast (or fresh if you have it)
• 1tbsp Caster Sugar
• 650ml Tepid Water
• 4tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Method:

Mix the yeast, sugar, oil and water together in a jug and leave it to stand for a couple of minutes.

Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl, make a well in the middle and slowly incorporate the liquid. You can do this on a clean work surface if you have the space.

Knead the dough for about 10 minutes until it’s smooth and elastic.

Pop it back into the bowl and cover with a damp tea towel or a shower cap. The dough needs to be left in a warm place until it doubles in size. This usually takes about an hour.

Knock the dough back by giving it a very quick knead and then cut it into 4 pieces (or more for smaller pizzas).

The dough can be used straight away or wrapped in clingfilm and stored in the fridge for later.

It’s worth letting the dough rest for 10 minutes or so before rolling it out as it will be less springy and easier to shape. You’ll want the pizza base to be about 5mm thick.

Top your pizzas as you wish. I often cook a rich tomato sauce in advance, but passata or even purée will suffice if you don’t have the time – it just won’t taste quite as good.

Top tip: always drizzle your topped pizza with a little extra virgin olive oil before popping it in the oven.

Cook your pizzas at about 250°C for 7-10 minutes. Reduce the cooking time if you’re using a hotter oven such as the wood-fired variety.

I recently made Calzone for the first time – simply fold your pizza to make a large pasty shape and crimp the edge.

Simple. Street. Food.