Pesto Pizza

This has to be my favourite pizza - inspired by many trips on holiday with my husband to the Cinque Terre.  Best washed down with an iced cold bottle of Birra Moretti!

• Difficulty: Easy
• Category: Baking Days, Comfort Food
• Cuisine: Italian
• Cooking Method: Baking, Oven Baked

Ingredients

For the pizza dough

• 330 ml warm water
• 7 g dried yeast
• 1/2 tbsp caster sugar
• 400 g '00' flour
• 100 g semolina flour (plus extra for dusting)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp olive oil

For the pesto

• 60 g fresh basil
• 50 g toasted pine nuts
• 50 g Parmesan cheese (grated)
• 1 garlic clove (peeled)
• 75 ml extra virgin olive oil

For the topping

• 400 ml passata
• Parmesan cheese (grated)

Instructions

1. Pour the water into a jug and stir in the yeast and sugar until it has dissolved. Add the flour and semolina to a bowl then stir in the salt. Make a well in the centre, add the oil and warm water. Stir everything together then tip onto a clean work surface and knead for 10 minutes until smooth.
2. Shape the dough into a ball then drop into a clean oiled bowl and cover with cling film. Leave to rise in a warm place for about 2 hours until doubled in size.
3. Meanwhile make the pesto, blend the basil, pine nuts, Parmesan and garlic in a food processor to a puree. Add the olive oil and continue to blend until you have a paste. Set aside.
4. Preheat the oven to its highest setting and preheat a pizza stone or baking sheets.
5. When the dough has risen remove it from the bowl and knead for a couple of minutes and divide into two pieces. Allow to rest for 5 minutes, then stretch and roll out to your preferred shape and thickness. Place on to a baking sheets dusted with semolina.
6. Spoon the passata thinly over the pizzas, scatter with grated Parmesan and then spread over the prepared pesto.
7. Slide both pizzas off the baking sheet onto the preheated baking sheets or pizza stone in the oven and cook for 5 - 10 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp. Enjoy!