deep pan american hot with extra pepperoni pizza

I've not blogged pizza before. Not convinced they photograph too well either, &
I figure people know how they like it & have cooked it most days with success.

And since my dabbling with leaven for the dough, I've made a terrific leaven only pizza last month, thin chewy crust just as we like it.

But last night, after a tip off from my friend Odette, I combined a little dried yeast and leaven. I couldn't stop the pizza dough from rising. What a success.

& the result was a light, chewy, tasty crust of a pizza, not podgy stodgy at all. I'm a convert to deep pan.

ingredients for one large pizza
1/3 teasp dried yeast pellets
125 mil tepid water
2 tablesp natural leaven
190g strong white flour
some salt
olive oil

reduced Italian tomato sauce/ passata - recipe here
grated mozzarella
pizza pepperoni
chopped hot chilli pepper - 1 large one

• mix the water with the dried yeast, plus 3 tablespoon of your flour amount
• leave to bubble for 20 mins, or a little longer if it's sluggish
• add some of your leaven & mix in a bowl with the remaining ingredients
• knead until soft
• cover with cling film and a cloth & stand to rise for 3 or 4 hours
• directly on a baking tray, shape or roll into your deep pan crust
• cover with tomato passata sauce, mozzarella, pepperoni & a chopped hot chilli pepper
• bake for 10 mins at 220
• slide onto the oven bars and bake for another couple of minutes

serve with salad