Proper student fare which costs just 75p for eight pizzas!  All prices are taken from Tesco.

To make the base you will need:

600g strong white bread flour (34p, 85p/1.5kg)

1 tsp salt (a few pence)

350ml lukewarm water (free!)

3 tbsps olive oil (25p, £1.25/250ml)

½ tbsp sugar (a few pence)

7g dried yeast (9p, 70p/56g).

Method:

Step 1

Measure the water in a jug and then add the sugar, oil and yeast.  You can use granulated, caster or golden caster sugar.  Stir it and leave for a few minutes.

Step 2

Sift the salt and flour into a bowl and make a well in the middle.

Step 3

Pour the liquid into the well and mix it all together with a fork.  You will need to use your hands as it becomes wet and sticky.

Step 4

Flour a work surface and tip the dough onto it.  Knead for 5-10 minutes until the dough is smooth and can be formed into a ball.

Step 5

Place the dough in a lightly floured bowl, cover with a tea towel and leave in a warm place (elusive in student accommodation) for an hour or until it has doubled in size.

Step 6

When the dough has risen, tip it onto a floured surface and knead for a couple of minutes.  This is called ‘knocking back’ but doesn’t involve drinking; though by all means knock back something else.  When you have done this, your dough is ready to be used.

Step 7

Split the dough into balls about the size of a small fist.  Each ball will make one fairly large pizza if rolled out very thinly.  If done this way, the dough will make roughly eight pizzas.  If you prefer a thicker pizza, just use more dough and don’t roll it out as much.  You can also experiment with stuffed crusts.

Step 8

To make the pizza, roll out one ball very thinly and lay it on a floured sheet of foil.  If you prefer your pizza crispy in the middle, I have found that baking it without the topping for a few minutes will ensure this.

Step 9

Decorate and bake in a preheated oven at the highest temperature for about 10 minutes, depending on how hot the oven is.  You don’t need to bother with a baking tray, but these are useful when taking the pizza out.

Step 10

Flour the balls you don’t want to use and either store in the fridge for a couple of days or place in a bag and freeze.  If frozen, take the balls out a couple of hours before you want to cook to allow them to defrost.  If storing in the fridge, make sure the balls are covered in clingfilm otherwise the dough will harden and you won’t be able to use it.

The pizza in the picture is a margherita (believe it or not).  I spread the dough with tomato sauce and layered on sliced cherry tomatoes, mozzarella, parmesan, oregano and basil before baking it.

Tomato sauce for two/three pizzas:

1 can chopped tomatoes

1 clove garlic

Pinch chilli flakes

Drizzle of olive oil

Black pepper

Step 1

Crush the garlic and gently fry it for a minute in the olive oil with the chilli flakes.

Step 2

Add a can of chopped tomatoes and stir.  You can also add chopped fresh tomatoes if you have any.

Step 3

Simmer for 20-25 minutes, stir frequently, until it has reduced and you have a thick sauce.  Season with black pepper.  If you want a smooth sauce, blend in a mixer or with a stick blender when it is cool.

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