45 mins plus proving
Not Too Tricky
makes 4
About the recipe
Every good pizza starts with an incredible dough and the addition of dark rye make this one pretty epic. It manages to be both crispy and spongy, with the most amazing nutty flavour. The hero of this ‘red pizza’ is the chilli-spiked tomato sauce, so use the best quality tomatoes you can find.
Ingredients
400g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
100g plain wholemeal flour
1 x 7g sachet of dried yeast
olive oil
2 cloves of garlic
1 fresh red chilli
1 x 400g tin quality plum tomatoes
1 bunch of fresh basil (30g)
300g asparagus
30g Parmesan cheese
200g rocket
extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon
balsamic vinegar
Top Tip
HEALTH & NUTRITION
Instead of melted cheese, this pizza is topped with a chilli-spiked tomato sauce and fresh salad.
Method
- To make the pizza dough, combine 400g of strong white bread flour and 100g plain wholemeal flour and 1 x 7g sachet of yeast in a large bowl with 1 teaspoon of fine sea salt. Make a well in the middle and pour in 325ml of tepid water. Bring the mixture into a ball with your hand, then knead on a flour-dusted surface for 10 minutes, or until elastic and smooth.
- Place into an oiled bowl, cover with a damp tea towel and leave to prove for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
- Knock the dough back by kneading it briefly, then divide into 4 balls. Cover again and leave to prove again for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to its highest setting. Pop a couple of pizza stones in the oven, or use 2 baking trays dusted with flour.
- For the sauce, peel 2 cloves of garlic and finely slice, along with the 1 fresh red chilli. Place in a saucepan on a medium heat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and fry until golden.
- Add 1 x 400g tin of plum tomatoes, gently crushing them through your hands into the pan. Simmer for 5 minutes or until slightly thickened, then taste and season to perfection with sea salt and black pepper.
- Roll and stretch each ball of dough into 20cm rounds to make 4 pizza bases.
- Spread each base with the tomato sauce, then pick over a little basil.
- Transfer the pizzas, two at a time, to the pizza stones or baking trays and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until golden and crisp. Repeat with the remaining pizzas.
- Using a speed peeler, shave 300g of asparagus spears and 30g of Parmesan into a large bowl. Add 200g of rocket and the remaining basil leaves, then toss with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a good squeeze of lemon juice.
- Top each pizza with a large handful of salad, then drizzle with balsamic vinegar, and tuck in!
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