Never say never

Just before Christmas I made pizza.  It wasn't the first time but I vowed it would be the last. I came to pizza quite late in life and, as with most things, I am quite fussy about it.  I blame the pizzerias of Naples who turned me into a pizza snob which hurts no one but myself. I thought the ideal way to get it exactly how I wanted it was to make it.  This is where the trouble started, it sticks to the baking tray, it doesn't cook in the middle, it somehow turns into a big pink sticky mess...  It wasn't good and I had reached the end of my tether.  Then lo and behold on Christmas morning I unwrapped a gift from my mother who had no idea about my previous traumatic experiences. It was a terracotta pizza plate complete with a supposedly fool proof recipe.  I was torn between my delight at a new piece of kitchen equipment and the unsettling feeling that this meant I would probably have to make pizza again.  I decided to give it one last go before swearing off it forever.  The results may not have been the most beautiful sight in the world but it tasted great.  The base was a little bit thicker than I usually like but only slightly and for most normal people who can just eat their food without examining every minor little flaw it would probably be fine. 
We had ours just with a quick tomato sauce, mozzarella and mushrooms but the pizza topping world is your oyster. 

The below recipe makes two pizza bases, I used the second to make some garlic bread.


Recipe:
1 x 7g sachet dried yeast
400g strong white bread flour
100g semolina
1/2 tablespoon salt
1/2 tablespoon caster sugar
325ml lukewarm water


Add the yeast and sugar to the water and mix.  Leave to one side for a few minutes until bubbles start to appear.
Meanwhile, put the flour, semolina and salt into a bowl.  Mix together and make a well in the centre. 
Add the yeast and water mixture to the dry ingredients and bring together into a dough.
Knead for 10 minutes by hand or about 5 in the mixer until the dough is smooth and springy.  If you put a finger in the dough and it bounces back then it's ready.
Put in an oiled bowl and cover with either clingfilm or a damp tea towel.  Leave somewhere warm for 45 minutes to rise. After this time, separate the dough into two balls and leave to rest for 15 minutes.  Preheat the oven to 200-220°C.
Sprinkle semolina or flour onto the pizza plate to stop it sticking and roll out one of the balls of dough to fit the plate.  
Add toppings of your choice and bake in the oven for about 15 minutes until crispy.  You can then roll out the other ball of dough and bake that in the same way. 
Eat greedily without really chewing.  Or is that just me?