Pizza Margherita

Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp dried yeast
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 400 g Homebrand high grade flour
- 100 g fine semolina
- 1 tsp salt
- 75 ml olive oil
- 2 onions, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 800 g cans crushed Italian tomatoes in juice
- 140 g tomato paste, mixed with ½ cup hot water
- salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 200 g cherry tomatoes, halved
- 200 g buffalo mozzarella, thinly sliced
- Parmesan for sprinkling
- basil leaves
Method
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1. Pizza Dough: Put 250ml lukewarm water into a mixing bowl and add the yeast and sugar. Let it stand in a warm place until the yeast has dissolved and the mixture is frothy. Mix well.
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Add the flour, semolina and salt. Mix well.Knead for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic and place the dough in an olive-oiled bowl.
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2. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm place to rise until doubled in bulk. (Approx 40 minutes)
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3. Pizza Sauce: Heat the oil over moderate heat and add the onions and garlic. Fry gently, without browning, for about 10 minutes until the onion is soft.
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4. Add the tomatoes and tomato paste and mix well. Simmer for 20 minutes or until the mixture is thick and jam like in consistency.
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Taste and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
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5. Pizza Margherita: Preheat the oven to 220°C and place 2 pizza stones on separate shelves. Pizza stones help crisp up the base, but are not an essential utensil for this recipe. You can also use oven trays.
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6. Roll the pizza dough out on a floured surface into 2 discs about 20cm in diameter. Spread 100ml of the tomato sauce onto each pizza base.
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7. Sprinkle half the cherry tomatoes and half the mozzarella on each pizza. Sprinkle each with a little parmesan.
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8. Slide each pizza onto a pizza stone or oven tray and place in the oven and cook for 10 minutes or until well cooked.
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9. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with the fresh basil and serve.