Pizza Night

We have the Jamie's Italy cookbook and in it is arguably the best pizza dough recipe I've had the pleasure of trying. Usually, I make a big batch of it which yields 4 pizza dough balls. (Below, the dough is the first six ingredients - you would have to quadruple those six amounts. I highly recommend this, as the dough would make a few extra, freezes well and it's great to just whip up a pizza sometimes). Anyhow, we've made loads of variations, and it's really up to you. I recommend keeping the toppings relatively light, as the crust gets nice and crispy outside and soft in the middle, too much crap on it may turn it soggy.

Caramelized Shallot, Marsala Mushroom and Bacon Pizza with Gruyere Cheese and Thyme

100 g strong white bread flour
25 g semolina flour
⅛ tablespoon fine sea salt
2 g yeast, instant packet
⅛ tablespoon sugar
81 ml water, lukewarm
2 tablespoons butter, divided use
3 shallots, finely sliced
1 teaspoon thyme, fresh
100 g mushrooms, sliced
½ cup marsala
4 strips bacon
1 cup Gruyere cheese, shredded
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil, truffle infused, if available
Thyme leaves, to sprinkle on at the end

Prepare the pizza dough. Add the yeast and sugar to the water and stir through with a fork and leave for a few minutes. Meanwhile, sift the dry ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the flour and mix on low for 10 minutes or so, until the dough is smooth, springy and soft.

Flour the top of the dough and cover with plastic wrap and let rest for at least 15 minutes. The dough is easier to roll thin at room temperature. Divide the dough into as many balls as you want. Alternatively you can wrap some up now and freeze them until you need them, pulling them out the night to thaw in the fridge - just remember to bring to room temperature (an hour or two should do it) before rolling out.

Timing-wise, it's nice to roll the pizza out 15-30 minutes before you want to cook them. Preheat the oven to 500F/250C. A pizza stone REALLY helps here (or a piece of granite) - if you have one put it in the oven to get it nice and hot, if not, it does help to heat up whatever you are baking it on.

Meanwhile get the toppings prepped. Get three saute pans hot over medium-high heat, two with a tablespoon of butter. When hot, place the shallots in one buttered pan and stir through, adding some salt and pepper. In the second buttered pan, add the thyme and for 30 seconds, let it infuse the butter. Next drop the mushrooms in with some salt and pepper. In the third (dry) pan, add the bacon strips and cook until browned on both sides, about 10 minutes, draining on paper towels when done. Cook the shallots, stirring occasionally, until starting to brown well, about 10 minutes, and remove from the heat and put into a small bowl. In the mushroom pan, keep cooking them until soft (about 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally), then put the marsala in, cooking until fully absorbed by the mushrooms. Remove from the heat and put in a small bowl. Grate the cheese and set aside. Tear the bacon into little pieces. Your toppings are now prepped.

When the stone (or baking sheet) is nice and hot and the dough has been rolled out and is ready, remove the stone from the oven and place on the stove top. Sprinkle some cornmeal over the top of the stone so the pizza doesn't stick. Put the pizza dough on the stone and it will immediately start cooking the bottom. Drizzle the olive oil on it and spread it around lightly with your fingers. Top with the mushrooms, shallots and bacon and season with salt and pepper. Return the pizza to the oven and cook for another 5-8 minutes, or until hot and the cheese is starting to go brown.

Carefully remove the pizza and slide it off of the stone and onto a cutting board so you can slice it. Slice and serve.