Cheese & Tomato-style classic pizza

Ingredients

Dough (for 2 pizzas)

• 500 g strong bread flour
• 7 g dried yeast
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 320 ml warm water
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Tomato sauce

• 1 × 400 g tin chopped San Marzano tomatoes
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp dried basil
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• ½ tsp sugar
• Salt and pepper

Topping

• 200 g mozzarella, shredded
• 50 g mature cheddar, grated (the secret ingredient)
• Drizzle of olive oil

Method

1. Dough. Same as Pepperoni Passion — overnight cold ferment.
2. Sauce. Blend all sauce ingredients. The dried oregano + basil combo is what makes this taste like the takeaway version.
3. Shape. Stretch dough into a 30 cm round.
4. Top. Sauce (modest — you should see the dough through it). Mix of mozzarella and cheddar (the cheddar gives it that takeaway-shop flavour).
5. Bake. 250°C oven, 8–10 minutes until the crust is blistered and the cheese has golden spots.
6. Rest 2 minutes. Drizzle of olive oil. Slice.

Tips

• The cheddar is the secret. Just mozzarella gives you an Italian pizza. A bit of mature cheddar gives you a UK takeaway pizza.
• San Marzano tomatoes if you can find them. Worth it for the sweetness.
• Don’t be tempted to add toppings. Cheese & Tomato is the most-ordered pizza in the UK for a reason.