Thread by @Colmogorman

As promised last night - a game changing pizza recipe and cooking method for you today. I made this last night and it was so good I used the last of the dough to make another today for brunch! Chorizo, Roast Butternut Squash and Spring Onion Pizza. This is sublime! #coronacooking

I’ve reworked my dough recipe just a little for this, and I really like it. The crust is wonderful. Ideally use strong white flour. I didn’t have any on this occasion so I used plain flour and it worked really well.

For the dough:
475g strong white flour
7g quick active yeast
25ml olive oil
50ml lukewarm milk
275ml lukewarm water
2tsp salt
1tsp sugar

For the sauce:
300g cherry tomatoes
1tbsp tomato purée
1 shallot
1 clove garlic
A little olive oil
1tbsp honey
Salt & pepper

Toppings:
Peel and chop butternut squash into 1-2cm chunks. Toss in a little olive oil, salt and pepper and roast at 180c until soft.
75g of chorizo, thinly sliced
125g buffalo mozzarella
1 spring onion
A little grated Parmesan
Some dried oregano

I use buffalo mozzarella on my pizzas as I prefer it to prepacked grated mozzarella. If you can get low moisture cheese do - or just wrap the cheese in a clean Jcloth & squeeze out some of the moisture. This is worth doing as it prevents your pizza from being too wet once cooked.

To make the dough, mix the flour, yeast, sugar & salt together in a large bowl. I used my Kenwood Chef with its dough hook for this, but you can mix & knead the dough by hand. Stir in the olive oil & milk. Gradually add water, mixing well to form a soft dough.

If using a dough hook, use medium speed for 4-5 mins. If kneading by hand, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for 10 mins until you have a smooth dough. Pop into a lightly oiled bowl, cover with cling film. Allow to proof until doubled in size, about an hour.

To make the sauce, cut tomatoes into quarters. Finely chop shallot & garlic. Cook in a small pan with a splash of olive oil until soft. Add the chopped tomato, tomato purée & the honey. Season with salt & pepper. #pizza #coronacooking

You can just use a passata if you like, but I adore this sauce. I’ve developed it over a few months and it is so fully of flavour and really elevates the taste of my pizzas. It is simple to make and really worth the little effort involved.

When dough is proofed, turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Knock it back a little. You’ll have enough for 3 decent sized pizzas, so divide in three. You can wrap any you don’t need in some cling film & freeze until you want it.

Heat a heavy based frying pan on a high heat and turn on your grill to its highest temperature. Don’t use any oil, a dry pan works best here.

Dust one of the dough balls with a little flour and use your hands to press it into a disc. Now using your finger tips, starting in the middle and gradually working your way out, press the dough into the size and shape for your pan. Keep a nice thick crust of 2-3cm at the edges.

Pick up the dough, lightly shake off any excess flour. Pop it onto the hot pan & stretch out a little if needed. Carefully though as the pan will be very hot. Add sauce, using a spoon to spread it across the pizza base, leaving crust sauce free so it can rise & get super crispy.

Tear and scatter the mozzarella evenly on top of the sauce. Next add the chorizo. Let the pizza cook in the pan on a high heat until the base is crisp and brown, about 3-4mins.

Transfer it in the pan to the grill and cook for another 3mins or so until it is cooked on top. Your crust should rise and turn lovely and brown. I like a little char on mine, but finish to your own taste.

Keep an eye on the pizza under the grill, as it can cook faster than you might imagine. I cook mine under the grill on the middle shelf of my oven which works beautifully. When there is about a minute left to go, add the spring onion, cut down the middle and into lengths.

Take pizza out of the oven & finish with some fresh grated parmesan & some dried oregano. Slice it and serve up.

I’m so delighted with this technique. I’ve been lusting for a pizza oven all summer - but not anymore. This method makes amazing pizza, as good as any I’ve ever had.