Ingredients
- Makes 6 small thin-crust pizzas
- For the crust:
- 3½ cups (500g) bread flour
- 2½ teaspoons (one 7g packet) dry fast-acting yeast
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
- 300ml lukewarm spring water (mc to check cups)
- 1½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more to brush
- For the toppings (per pizza):
- 3 bacon strips, cooked
- 1 medium russet potato, thinly sliced and parboiled
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 2 to 3 rosemary sprigs
- 1½ teaspoons truffle oil, to drizzle
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
Inspired by a pizza I sampled at a food festival in Donegal, this recipe features some of my favourite local ingredients: Crowe’s Farm streaky rashers and Ardsallagh Goat’s Cheese, along with truffle oil, minced garlic, and fresh rosemary from our front yard. It doesn’t have a tomato sauce, but is just as delicious with passata and toppings of your choice, if you prefer.
Method: In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, yeast, salt and sugar. Stir in the water, and then the olive oil. Mix until you have a soft dough.
Gather the dough into a ball and turn onto a lightly-floured work surface. Knead by hand for about 10 minutes, or in a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook for five minutes, until the dough feels silky and springy. Place in another bowl and cover with a cloth or plastic wrap. Let rest in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size, about one to two hours.
Half an hour before baking, preheat the oven to 250 degrees C/gas 9. Preheat a pizza stone or heavy baking tray in the oven.
Divide the dough into six to eight equal parts. (While working with one section, cover the remainder with plastic wrap or a tea towel so it doesn’t dry out.) Working on a lightly-floured board, roll out each ball of dough until very thin, and place each on a square of parchment paper. Prick the dough several times with a fork and brush lightly with olive oil.
Top each pizza with bacon, potato, garlic and rosemary. Using a light hand, drizzle a little truffle oil over the top and sprinkle the fennel seeds. Slide the pizzas on the parchment paper onto the pizza stone, and bake for 7 to 10 minutes. Slide each pizza out of the oven onto a board. Serve immediately with a tossed green salad and a glass of bold red wine.