In my house pizza is a something that we make several times a month. I make the dough, my husband makes the sauce, the kids cut the toppings (and eat half of them in the process).

Then comes the phenomena of the magic hand. For some reason, when my husband assembles the pizza, it somehow looks better and tastes better. There is no scientific reason to explain this occurrence, which is why I call it the magic hand phenomena.

So with this magic pizza, we need a wine that is easy to drink with some tannin (but not too much) and a nice amount of fruit, like the Martín Berdugo Joven. It is a young red made from the Tempranillo grape and because of it’s youth it has a lot of fruit but it is also low in tannins. Perfect for pizza.

Ingredients

Serves 4

For the dough:

For the sauce:

Method

For the dough:

Pour 3/4 cup warm water into small bowl and crumble the yeast into the water.  The water should measure between 40-45°C for the yeast, if the water is too hot you will kill the yeast, too cold and your dough won’t proof. 

In a large bowl, mix the flour and salt. Make a well in the middle of the flour and add the yeast mixture and a two tablespoons of olive oil.  Begin mixing the flour and the water together with your hands. If the dough becomes too dry, add some cold water, a little at a time.

Keep kneading the dough with until you have a large ball. Cover and let it stand in a warm place for one hour. While you are waiting for your pizza dough, you can start the sauce.

For the sauce:

Add a tablespoon of olive oil to a saucepan and sauté onions over medium heat for about two minutes. Add the anchovies and cook about a minute longer. Add the garlic and cook for about another minute. Now add the passata, the herbs de Provence and season with salt and pepper. 

After the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and knead for about 10 minutes. Transfer the dough to a piece of lightly floured parchment paper and roll it out into the desired shape. You should have enough for four smaller pizzas or one giant monster pizza….. Depending on how big your oven is. Spread the sauce over the dough and top with your favourite pizza toppings and of course, mozzarella cheese.

Here is a list of toppings that are popular in my house, but by all means don’t stick just to this list. Be creative and have fun. Enjoy the wine.

Toppings                       

Pepperoni

Mushrooms

Onions

Sausage

Bacon                           

Fresh Mozzarella cheese

Olives

Green peppers

Red peppers

Spinach

Tomatoes

Artichoke hearts

Bake the pizza at 200°c with convection until warm, golden, and bubbly. About 15-20 minutes.