James Martin's margherita pizza and dough balls
DOUGH BALLS AND GARLIC BUTTER
Serves: Makes 30 dough balls
INGREDIENTS
For the garlic butter:
3 garlic bulbs
15ml olive oil
500g butter, melted
1 small bunch parsley, chopped
For the dough balls:
150ml warm water
1 tsp sugar
15g fresh or dried yeast
225g plain bread flour
1 ½ tsp salt
extra virgin olive oil
Extra semolina flour for shaping
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 200c, gas 6
To make the garlic butter, cut a thin layer off the top of the garlic bulbs, place in a tin foil parcel and drizzle in oil. Wrap up tightly then roast for 50 minutes. Allow to cool.
Meanwhile, make the dough balls - mix the water, sugar and yeast together and leave to stand for 10 minutes
Place the flour, salt and yeast mixture into a food mixer with a dough hook attachment and mix on a slow speed for 5 minutes – you can also do this by hand, just mix the ingredients together and knead for 10 minutes. Leave to rest until the dough is springy.
Flour your hands and roll the dough into a long sausage shape then cut into 30 even sized pieces. Roll into balls, place onto a floured baking tray and leave to prove for 30 minutes.
Squeeze the garlic out of the skins and finely chop, then mix in the butter with the parsley
Bake the dough balls for 6 minutes and serve with the garlic butter
MARGHERITA PIZZA
Serves: 10
INGREDIENTS
For the dough:
1kg strong plain bread flour
20g fresh or dried yeast
50g semolina flour
100ml olive oil
650ml water
20g salt
For the topping:
400g tinned san marzano tomatoes, blitzed
mozzarella cheese
pecorino cheese, grated
basil
olive oil
Extra semolina flour for rolling
METHOD
Place all the ingredients for the dough into a food mixer with a dough hook attachment. Mix on a slow speed for 4 minutes then turn up to a medium speed for 12 minutes. Tip onto a surface dusted in semolina flour shape into 6 even size balls and leave to prove for 15 minutes, or cover and pop in the fridge overnight.
When ready to cook, heat a pizza oven until hot or alternatively place a pizza stone into an oven at 200C, gas 6 for 30 minutes
Using more semolina flour roll the dough out as thinly as you dare and top with the tomato, cheeses and basil then drizzle with olive oil
Place into the pizza oven, or onto the pizza stone. Bake until crisp and bubbling in the centre