Pizza Bianca - Mascarpone, Cured Ham and Chilli Cooked Two Ways at Home.

Its time to up your pizza game, I popped into the supermarket the other day and saw just how expensive good quality ready to bake pizzas are these day, so i thought it was a good idea to share some great ways to make them at home.

Makes 4 pizzas

500g Strong bread flour

7g Dried Yeast

10g Salt

325ml water

3 tbsp Polenta or ground semolina

For the topping:

250g Mascarpone cream

4 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil

2 Red chillies, finely diced

2 tbsp Mini capers

8 Slices of Parma ham

16 Basil leaves

60g Rocket leaf

Here’s how:

Pour the flour, yeast and salt into a mixing bow. Using your hands blend the ingredients together.

Make a well in the centre of the flour and pour in the water.

Using your hand in a claw shape roll it around the bowl to mix together until it forms a soft ball of dough.

Transfer the mixture onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for 10 minutes until smooth and stretchy.

Return the dough back to the mixing bowl, cover and leave to prove for 1 hour or until it doubles in size.

You can also place the dough in the fridge overnight to prove as the cold temperate of the fridge will slow to proving process down and develop the flavour.

Scoop the dough back out of the mixing bowl onto a lightly floured work surface, dust with a little flour on top and knock all the air out with your hands.

Divide the dough into 4 portions and roll out into pizza shapes.

Place the pizza bases onto baking sheets ready for the topping.

Spoon the mascarpone out onto the pizza bases.n You want 5-6 small spoons of the cream per pizza.

Pour over a drizzle of olive oil and scatter with freshly chopped chilli and capers.

Lay the parma ham on top of the pizza and season with a little black pepper.

Repeat the process until you have topped all the pizzas.

Bake in a hot oven 200c for 12-15 minutes or until golden.

To finish the pizza scatter over the fresh basil leaves and rocket leaf for a nice fresh flavour.

Some good wines to go with white pizzas are Pinot Grigio, Falanghina, and even Prosecco.