Celebrate National Pizza Day without spending a fortune (Stock photo) (Image: Getty Images)
Today is National Pizza Day - but you don't have to spend a fortune to have your slice of fun.
Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay has shared a mouth-watering pepperoni pizza recipe that may convince you to scrap those costly Friday night takeaways for good. If you're up for a challenge, you can spend a few more hours in the kitchen making the dough from scratch.
However, you can always skip this part and pick up a ready-made base from the supermarket (just don't tell your family what you've done). This pizza is loaded with meat - but you can always use veggie alternatives if you're looking for something a little lighter. Now, get your chef's hat on and let's get cooking.
Gordon Ramsay's pepperoni pizza
Ingredients
For the pizza dough (makes two bases)
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- Strong white flour (400g)
- Lukewarm water (250ml)
- 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp fast-action dried yeast
For the pizza (makes one pizza)
- Mozzarella, diced (80g)
- Passata (120ml)
- 10 pepperoni slices
- 6 chorizo slices
- Pinch of dry chilli flakes
- Flour for dusting
- Semolina for dusting
- Olive oil for brushing
- Pizza dough
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Method
For the dough:
- Pour the flour into a mixing bowl and add the yeast. Then, pour in the warm water and oil and stir together slightly before adding in the salt.
- On a clean work surface, knead the dough together until smooth. This usually takes between 8-10 minutes. However, you can let an electric mixer do the hard work if you have a dough hook attachment.
- Divide the dough in half and roll into balls. Place them into a deep dish dusted lightly with flour and lightly flatten the dough down.
- Cover with cling film and allow to rise at room temperature for 1 hour and 30 minutes / until it has doubled in size.
For the pizza:
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius (Gas Mark 7).
- Dust a clean surface with flour and semolina then place one of the dough balls you made earlier onto the counter. If you don't have time to make the dough from scratch, you can always purchase a ready-made version from the supermarket. Push down on the dough with your hands and stretch it out to an 'even round flat shape' - then place it on a baking tray.
- Spread over the passata then top with mozzarella before adding the pepperoni and chorizo evenly. Place into the oven for 8-12 minutes, until the crust is 'crisp and golden'.
- Sprinkle over some dry chili flakes if you want a bit of heat, then brush the crush with a little olive oil.
- And there you have it! A delicious pizza than won't break the bank and will keep the kids occupied for a few hours.
What pizza topping are your go-to? Let us know in the comments section below
Liam Gilliver