A heart-healthy version of a national favourite, a home-made pizza is a satisfying and delicious alternative to takeaways. For alternative toppings, why not try using onion, mushrooms, pineapple or jalapenos?

Ingredients

For the base
300g strong white bread flour, plus extra for rolling out
½ teaspoon (half a 7g sachet) fast-action yeast
Pinch ground black pepper
100ml warm water
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra for greasing
1 garlic clove, crushed

For the sauce
½ teaspoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tablespoon tomato purée
1 x 227g tin chopped tomatoes
Pinch chilli flakes or to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Handful fresh basil, roughly chopped

For the topping
1 yellow pepper, sliced
1 tomato, sliced
100g cooked chicken
2 tablespoons sweetcorn
60 mozzarella, thinly sliced
A few basil leaves, torn, plus extra to garnish

Method

1. To make the dough, mix the flour, yeast and pepper together in a large bowl. In a separate container mix the water with the oil and garlic and pour into the flour and yeast. Mix together quickly with a spoon until a sticky dough is formed. Leave to stand for 10 minutes.
2. Dust your hands and a work surface with flour. To knead the dough, hold one side of the dough down with one hand, with the other hand, push the other side of the dough away from you, stretching it out. Fold the stretched dough back on top of itself and push it down with your palm. Give the dough a quarter turn and repeat the process for just 1 minute or until the dough is smooth, elastic and bouncy.
3. Form a ball with the dough and place it into a bowl greased with a little oil. Cover the bowl with cling film and leave to rise in a warm place for about an hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
4. Meanwhile, make the sauce. Heat the oil in a saucepan over a medium heat and cook the onion and garlic for 5 minutes or until the onion becomes soft and transparent. Stir in the tomato puree followed by the chopped tomatoes, chilli and pepper. Simmer on a low heat for 15–20 minutes until the sauce becomes thick, stir in the basil for the last few minutes. Use a hand blender to make a smooth sauce.
5. Once the dough has risen, preheat the oven to 240°C/475°F/gas 9. Dust a baking sheet with a little flour and use your hands to push the dough outwards to form a round base approximately 30cm (12inches) across.
6. Spread the tomato sauce over the pizza base using the back of a spoon. Scatter the toppings over the pizza, topped with the basil leaves, and cook in the oven for 10–15 minutes or until golden brown. Scatter with the remaining basil leaves and serve.

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