JAMIE OLIVER PIZZA | KEEP COOKING AND CARRY ON RECIPES

1. For the dough, pile the flours and 1 level teaspoon of sea salt onto a clean surface and make a well in the centre.
2. Add the yeast and sugar to 650ml lukewarm water, mix together and leave for a few minutes, then pour into the well.
3. Using a fork and a circular movement, slowly bring in the flour from the inner edge of the well and mix into the water. Continue to mix, bringing in all the flour – when the dough comes together and becomes too hard to mix with your fork, flour your hands and begin to pat it into a ball.
4. Knead the dough by rolling it backwards and forwards, using your hands to stretch, pull and push the dough. Keep kneading for 10 minutes, or until you have a smooth, springy, soft dough.
5. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with clingfilm and leave in a warm place to to prove for 45 minutes, or until doubled in size.
6. For the sauce, peel and finely slice the garlic, then pick the basil leaves and finely chop the stalks.
7. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan on a medium-low heat, add the garlic and basil stalks, then cook gently for a couple of minutes, or until the garlic is lightly golden, then add most of the basil leaves, the tomatoes, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
8. Leave the sauce to tick away for around 20 minutes, or until smooth, breaking up the tomatoes up with a wooden spoon. When the time’s up, taste, and season to perfection.
9. To assemble the pizzas, divide the dough in half. Wrap one half in clingfilm and freeze for another day. With the remaining half, divide the dough into 4 equal balls.
10. Flour each dough ball, then cover with clingfilm, and leave to rest for about 15 minutes – this will make them easier to roll it thinly.
11. Dust a clean surface and the dough with a little flour or semolina, and roll it out into a rough circle, about ½cm thick.
12. Tear off an appropriately sized piece of tin foil, rub it with olive oil, dust well with flour or semolina and place the pizza base on top. Continue doing the same with the remaining dough, dust with a little flour so you can pile them up. Cover with clingfilm and place in the fridge.
13. When you're ready to cook them, preheat the oven to 250°C/500°F/gas 9.
14. At this stage you can apply your topping: spread the tomato sauce over the base, spreading it out to the edges. Tear over the mozzarella and scatter with the remaining basil leaves. Drizzle with a tiny bit of olive oil and add a pinch of salt and pepper.
15. If you can, cook the pizzas on a piece of granite in your conventional oven – if not, cook them one by one on pieces of tin foil directly on the bars of the oven shelf, towards the bottom of the oven (If you're going to cook your pizzas on the bars of the oven, make sure they're not too big – otherwise they'll be difficult to manoeuvre). Cook for 7 to 10 minutes, until the pizzas are golden and crispy.
16. Here are some of my favourite topping ideas: Mozzarella, anchovies, chilli, capers and parsley Smoked pancetta, mozzarella, fresh chilli and tomatoes Egg, prosciutto, artichokes, olives, mozzarella, tomato sauce and basil Green and red grapes, rosemary, pine nuts and ricotta Potatoes, mozzarella, rosemary, thyme and tomatoes Slow-roasted shredded pork with thyme, Taleggio and lemon-dressed rocket

Cook time: 45 minutes, plus proving.

Pour 700ml of lukewarm water into a large bowl with 10g of sea salt. Gradually mix in a small handful of the flour to break the water and start to turn it into a batter. Mix in the yeast and leave for 2 minutes. Gradually mix in 90% of the remaining flour until you have a pliable, soft dough. Tip the remaining flour on to a clean surface and knead the dough for 20 minutes, or until smooth and elastic (or 10 minutes in a free-standing mixer with a dough hook). Place in a floured bowl, cover with a clean, damp tea towel and prove for 1 hour, or until doubled in size. Knock out the air with your fists, roll into a sausage shape, chop into 6 equal pieces and roll each one into a ball, stretching the edges underneath. Place on an oiled tray, drizzle with oil, cover with clingfilm and the tea towel and prove overnight in the fridge (for better flavour and a more relaxed dough). 

Preheat the oven to full whack (240C) and place a pizza stone inside. Use a fish slice to move one ball of dough on to a flour-dusted surface. Press the ball out into a flat round disc, then pick it up and gently turn and stretch it to 30cm in diameter, using gravity to help you. Stretch it over the back of your fists, then place it on a floured pizza paddle or board – the dough should be a little thicker around the edges. Pull it into shape and give it a jiggle so you know it's free-moving. Working quickly and with restraint, add your chosen toppings (see my favourites below). Quickly shunt onto your pizza stone and close the door to retain heat. Wait 7 or 8 minutes and it'll be golden, crisp and ready to eat. 

CALORIES 569kcal FAT 2.6g SAT FAT 01.g PROTEIN 23.8g CARBS 112.7g SUGAR 2.6g SALT 1.7g FIBRE 4.3g

Classic Margherita (pictured above)

The Neopolitans don't mess around – they keep their tomato sauce beautifully simple, raw and fresh, so buying quality tinned tomatoes is a must. Simply scrunch tinned San Marzano plum tomatoes in your clean hands until smooth, then spoon over your pizza base. Top with a few fresh basil leaves, some torn mozzarella cheese and finely grated Parmesan cheese. Drizzle with a little olive oil, bake, and finish with a few extra basil leaves. 

Ricotta and Baby Courgette

Spoon over tomato sauce (see recipe above), then top with ricotta cheese mashed with fresh marjoram leaves and finely grated Parmesan or pecorino cheese and lemon zest. Add baby courgettes tossed in olive oil and lemon juice, drizzle with a little more olive oil and bake.

Grape and Honey

Toss red and black grapes, fresh rosemary leaves and very finely sliced red onion in olive oil, then scatter over your pizza base with pine nuts, finely grated pecorino cheese, torn mozzarella cheese and a tiny drizzle of runny honey. Drizzle with a little olive oil and bake.

Tomato and Rosemary

Spoon tomato sauce (see recipe above) over your pizza base, then scatter over some fresh rosemary leaves tossed with a little olive oil. Tear over some spicy n'duja, finely grate over some Parmesan cheese, drizzle with a little more olive oil, and bake.

Broccoli and Sausage

Spoon tomato sauce (see recipe above) over your pizza base, then top with small blanched broccoli florets fried with garlic, fresh chilli, black olives (destoned) and sausagemeat. Tear over some provolone cheese, drizzle with a little olive oil, and bake. 

Jamie Cooks Italy by Jamie Oliver is published by Penguin Random House © Jamie Oliver Enterprises Limited (2018 Jamie Cooks Italy), photography: David Loftus.

1. Whisk the yeast into 300ml of lukewarm water, leave for 2 minutes, then pour into a large bowl with 500g of the flour and a really good pinch of sea salt. Mix up as best you can, then knead vigorously on a flour-dusted surface to give you a smooth, elastic dough. Rub lightly with oil, place in the bowl, cover with a clean damp tea towel and prove for 1 hour in a warm place, or until doubled in size.
2. Meanwhile, peel and finely slice the onion and place in a pan with the butter, bay leaves and a splash of water. Fry on a medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring regularly, then stir in 50g of flour, followed by the mustard, and slowly add the milk to give you a loose white sauce. Roughly break up the cauliflower, discarding just the tatty outer leaves, and finely slice the stalk. Add to the pan with any remaining leaves. Simmer gently for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, then turn off the heat, grate in the cheese, season to perfection and allow to cool a little.
3. Preheat the oven to full whack (240ºC/475ºF/gas 9). Lightly oil a 30cm non-stick ovenproof frying pan or a 25cm x 35cm baking tray, then press out the dough to fill the space. Spoon over the cauliflower mixture, leaving a 2cm border around the edge, then leave to prove again until doubled in size. Bake at the bottom of the oven for 25 minutes, or until golden, crisp and melty.
4. Delicious served with a bowl of lemony dressed seasonal salad leaves.

1. For the dough, pile the flours and 1 level teaspoon of sea salt onto a clean surface and make a well in the centre.
2. Add the yeast and sugar to 650ml lukewarm water, mix together and leave for a few minutes, then pour into the well.
3. Using a fork and a circular movement, slowly bring in the flour from the inner edge of the well and mix into the water. Continue to mix, bringing in all the flour – when the dough comes together and becomes too hard to mix with your fork, flour your hands and begin to pat it into a ball.
4. Knead the dough by rolling it backwards and forwards, using your hands to stretch, pull and push the dough. Keep kneading for 10 minutes, or until you have a smooth, springy, soft dough.
5. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with clingfilm and leave in a warm place to to prove for 45 minutes, or until doubled in size.
6. For the sauce, peel and finely slice the garlic, then pick the basil leaves and finely chop the stalks.
7. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan on a medium-low heat, add the garlic and basil stalks, then cook gently for a couple of minutes, or until the garlic is lightly golden, then add most of the basil leaves, the tomatoes, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
8. Leave the sauce to tick away for around 20 minutes, or until smooth, breaking up the tomatoes up with a wooden spoon. When the time’s up, taste, and season to perfection.
9. To assemble the pizzas, divide the dough in half. Wrap one half in clingfilm and freeze for another day. With the remaining half, divide the dough into 4 equal balls.
10. Flour each dough ball, then cover with clingfilm, and leave to rest for about 15 minutes – this will make them easier to roll it thinly.
11. Dust a clean surface and the dough with a little flour or semolina, and roll it out into a rough circle, about ½cm thick.
12. Tear off an appropriately sized piece of tin foil, rub it with olive oil, dust well with flour or semolina and place the pizza base on top. Continue doing the same with the remaining dough, dust with a little flour so you can pile them up. Cover with clingfilm and place in the fridge.
13. When you're ready to cook them, preheat the oven to 250°C/500°F/gas 9.
14. At this stage you can apply your topping: spread the tomato sauce over the base, spreading it out to the edges. Tear over the mozzarella and scatter with the remaining basil leaves. Drizzle with a tiny bit of olive oil and add a pinch of salt and pepper.
15. If you can, cook the pizzas on a piece of granite in your conventional oven – if not, cook them one by one on pieces of tin foil directly on the bars of the oven shelf, towards the bottom of the oven (If you're going to cook your pizzas on the bars of the oven, make sure they're not too big – otherwise they'll be difficult to manoeuvre). Cook for 7 to 10 minutes, until the pizzas are golden and crispy.
16. Here are some of my favourite topping ideas: Mozzarella, anchovies, chilli, capers and parsley Smoked pancetta, mozzarella, fresh chilli and tomatoes Egg, prosciutto, artichokes, olives, mozzarella, tomato sauce and basil Green and red grapes, rosemary, pine nuts and ricotta Potatoes, mozzarella, rosemary, thyme and tomatoes Slow-roasted shredded pork with thyme, Taleggio and lemon-dressed rocket