When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie..................

That's amore............................and I really do love pizza!!

Not any pizza though, nothing bought from any shop (apart from La Cucina probably) but homemade pizza with fresh dough and fresh ingredients and a real feel of Italy that reminds me of our honeymoon where it took me ages to get the husbag to try anything other than pizza - good times!!! Then he discovered vitello, agnello and bistecca and there was no stopping him.

So anyway I digress, this is the pizza base I make most often, I used to make Jamie Oliver's but it's a bit too bready for my liking, this one is just perfect, it's from the October '07 issue of Taste Italia and works perfectly every time. This much dough is enough for 2 pizza bases but you can easily double the recipe if you want more

So here's what you need

15g fresh yeast/1 1/2 tsp fast acting dried yeast
add the yeast to 4 tbsp water and mix well
150ml water
250g stong white flour (I used 00 but plain white flour works just as well.)
1/2 tsp sea salt
50ml extra virgin olive oil

Mix the yeast with the water.
Sift the flour and salt and make a well in the centre
Pour the olive oil, yeat mix and some of the water in and mix with a wooden spoon, add the rest of the water gradually and mix to a soft dough.
Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for about 10 mins until the dough soft and satiny - don't be afraid to add more flour if the dough is too sticky or more water if it's too dry.
Oil a large bowl and put the dough into it and roll it around to coat. Cover with a tea towel and leave in a warm place for 1 1/2 hours until doubled in size.
Uncover and press the dough downh with your knuckles and knock out the air. Divide in half.
Knead on a floured surface for a couple of mins to knock out the rest of the air and roll out the dough until it's about 26-30 cm round.
Preheat your oven to Gas Mark 6/200 top with whatever you want and cook for 20 minutes.

We like various toppings, some of them authentic Italian and some not, the night we made these I used prosuitto and red onion with grated mozzarella and the pizza below has red onion, chargrilled peppers and buffalo mozzarella. The sauce I make myself with sauteed tomatoes and herbs and garlic but that's more of a case of whatever I have goes in really. Buon appetito!!!