A delicious combination of bread, tomato sauce, oozy cheese and whatever toppings you’re in the mood for, pizza is up there in my top five savoury things to eat. And while the posher supermarkets do make some very good take-it-home-and bang-it-in-the-oven options, homemade pizza will win every time when it comes to taste (how mouthwateringly-yummy do the pictures above look?).

Yes, making your own pizza is time consuming but, as Catherine from Borrowed Light who shot the pictures above explains, it’s worth it and then some. “This pizza is beyond delicious, it tastes like no takeaway pizza I’ve ever had. The flavours, textures and the freshness of the ingredients mean this pizza is nutritious, healthy and will impress any guest. Plus you can pile on the toppings to your heart’s content. My mum makes the best pizza so we asked her to make her famous roasted vegetable pizza and an artichoke, pepper and brie pizza and we just did the photographing.”

Over to Catherine’s mum…

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{Pizza Dough}
  • 300g strong bread flour
  • 1 tsp fast action yeast (we used Allison but supermarkets have their own brands
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 100 ml warm water

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Method

  • Put the flour in a large bowl.
  • Stir in the yeast and salt.
  • Make a well in the flour and pour in the warm water and olive oil.
  • Bring together with a wooden spoon until you have soft, fairly wet dough, turn out on to a lightly-floured surface and knead for 5 minutes.
  • Put your ball of dough back into the bowl and cover with cling film (this works better than a tea towel as no air gets in and it prevents a skin from forming).
  • Leave for 1 hour to prove/rise.
  • Whilst the dough is proving, start the tomato sauce/roasting your veg.
  • After an hour, the dough should have doubled or so in size, remove the cling film and punch it, to remove the air.
  • Roll out on a lightly-floured surface. Depending on your dish or baking tray you can have one large round/rectangle or make two smaller rounds/rectangles.

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    {Tomato Sauce}
    • 1 tin of plum tomatoes
    • Fresh basil, torn
    • 1 clove of garlic, crushed
    • Salt and pepper to taste
    • 1 heaped tsp of sundried tomato paste
    • 1 tbsp olive oil
    • 1 pinch of sugar

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    Method

    1. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan.
    2. Add the crushed garlic, making sure it doesn’t burn.
    3. Add the tomatoes, salt, pepper and sugar.
    4. Allow to reduce until it is a thick, concentrated sauce.
    5. Keep on a low heat, without a lid, for about an hour.
    6. Halfway through add the torn basil.
    7. Once it’s ready, remove from the heat and spread on your dough.
    8. You can also double the quantities and freeze half, this sauce makes a great base for pasta dishes too.

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    {Roasted Veg Topping}
    • 6 baby peppers (leave whole)
    • 1 courgette, sliced
    • ½ small aubergine, sliced
    • ½ red onion (cut into wedges)
    • 1 ball mozzarella, sliced
    • 50g cheddar, grated (add more or less depending on your cheese tastes)
    • Dried thyme
    • 1 tbsp olive oil
    • Kalamata olives, around 12 (add more if you wish)
    • Torn basil to decorate

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    Method

    1. Pre-heat the oven to 220°C/fan 200°C.
    2. Prepare all the vegetables and add to a large bowl with the oil, salt, pepper and thyme.
    3. Mix well so everything is evenly-coated.
    4. Spread out on a baking tray and roast for 45 mins.

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    {Artichoke, Pepper & Brie Topping}
    • 1 jar artichokes, sliced if necessary
    • Half a red and half a yellow chargrilled pepper (you can also buy these in a jar)
    • 1 heaped tbsp pine nuts
    • 100g brie, sliced
    • Handful of rocket
    • Dried thyme
    • Salt and pepper to taste

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    Method

    1. Pre-heat the oven to 220°C/fan 200°C.
    2. In a dry frying pan, toast the pine nuts, they burn quickly, 30 seconds should be enough
    3. If you are using fresh peppers, hold over the gas flame on a toasting fork (something with a long handle). 2-3 minutes should be enough.
    4. Slice the peppers.
    5. Slice the brie.

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    To Assemble The Pizzas

    Roll the dough into whatever shape dish/tray you have. Spread the tomato sauce on top (leaving a little uncovered edge around the dough). For the roasted vegetable pizza: Add the roasted vegetables. Then the olives. Put the cheese on top. Put in the oven for around 15 minutes. Sprinkle with fresh basil. Serve immediately. For the artichoke, pepper and brie pizza: Arrange the artichokes and sliced peppers, followed by the brie. Sprinkle with thyme. Put it in the oven for 15 minutes.