GET IT RIGHT: PIZZA

Follow these simple steps and you'll have homemade pizzas that put any takeaway to shame

- ADAM BUSH

Thin, crisp dough with a bubbly, slightly chewy crust; stretchy, molten cheese; and a rich tomato sauce... nothing beats a top-notch pizza. Making your own pizza dough isn't perhaps the quickest recipe in the world (it needs time to do its thing) but it's definitely worth making if you want that perfect, light-as-a-feather crust. The beauty of this recipe is that you can make absolutely perfect pizzas without needing a sourdough starter or bread oven – a hot frying pan and grill will do just as well.

STEPS TO SUCESS...

THE POOLISH

A poolish is effectively a starter, as used when making sourdough, but using baker’s yeast. Using a poolish instead of adding dried yeast straight into the dough means there’s less yeast in the recipe overall, so the dough will take longer to rise (which makes it stronger, more elastic and better at retaining water). This long rising time makes for a light and bubbly dough, which will guarantee big, irregular blisters in the crust and just the right amount of chew. The long prove also gives the yeast more time to break down the flour, making for a golden, caramelised crust.

MIXING AT THE START

It's important to really work the dough once the salt has been incorporated. The dough hook (or your hand) breaks the gluten bonds and realigns them into long chains, which allows the dough to rise and become bubbly.

STRETCHING AND FOLDING

Holding a corner of the dough, stretching it up and folding it over on itself builds strength, tension and elasticity. It also stops too many large air bubbles from forming.

POLENTA/FLOUR MIX