Well, the title says it all. Making no-knead bread is such a chilled-out process. This dough benefits from the long fermentation time. It adds a lot of flavour.

Ideally a non-stick pan would work best for this because that will give the pizza a nice crispy bottom. But if you do not have a non-stick pan, then just line a tray with non-stick paper. This recipe is for a 10” square pan. It is a pizza that would easily feed 2 very greedy mouths and then some!

You can top this pizza with whatever toppings you like. Go as crazy as you want. Or keep it classic. The only thing to remember is not to over load the dough. As with any pizza – less is more. The more toppings you add the more difficult it will be to bake the dough properly.

Watch the video down below for detailed instructions.

Ingredients

For the dough – 250g (8.8oz) strong white bread flour

5g (0.2oz) salt

2g (0.07oz) dry yeast or 3x the amount of fresh yeast

10g (0.35oz) olive oil

170g (6oz) water at around 22C (72F) if your kitchen is around 25C (75F).

To learn more about dough temperature control click here.

For the toppings –

180g (6.5oz) grated mozzarella

Parmesan, oregano & basil leaves

For the sauce –

1 tin good quality peeled tomatoes

2 cloves garlic

Leftover basil stalks

Pinch of oregano

Pinch of salt

Splash of olive oil

Blend it all with a food processor and that is your sauce. Add the ingredients to your liking or just buy some readymade sauce. I won’t judge!

Method

1. Add the water, salt, yeast, oil, and flour to a bowl and mix until well combined. Leave to rest for 5 minutes. Desired dough temperature 24 – 25C (75-77F).
2. First fold, rest for 5 minutes, second fold, rest for 5 minutes, third fold, rest for 5 minutes, fourth fold.
3. Rest for 30 minutes.
4. Refrigerate for up to 48 hours. This will give you great flexibility with when to bake.
5. When you are ready to bake, take the dough out of the fridge and place it in a well-oiled pan. Stretch it out using your fingertips.
6. Cover and proof for 1.5 – 2h. The dough should puff up and fill the pan a little more. During the final hour of proofing preheat your oven to 230C (450F) fan off. And place a solid base (like a cast iron skillet) in the oven to pre heat if you have one.
7. Once the dough is ready sprinkle it with most of the cheese, then cover with basil leaves and sauce all over. Finish with the remaining cheese and a little oregano. I ended up not using all the sauce.
8. Bake for around 25 – 30 minutes or until dark brown all over and crusty around the sides.
9. Take the pan out and let it rest for at least 10 minutes before removing the pizza.

Let it cool down a bit and enjoy!