A large plate with an Italian Mozzarella and Ham pizza with tomato sauce and fresh basil, held by two hands.

Grow your own pizzas!

Who doesn’t love pizza? It’s certainly a regular feature on our weekly menu, especially when it’s home made and scattered with delicious toppings and plenty of fresh herbs.

Which is where our trusty Pizza Herbs Growbar comes in. With the first harvest of vibrant green leaves, you’ll be able to start serving up restaurant-standard pizzas with aplomb.

Our top tip is to make the dough first and cook the tomato sauce long and slow while it proves. When it’s all ready, lay out a feast of your favourite toppings and everyone can make their own pizzas. Serves 4.

Pizza dough

7g sachet easy fast dried yeast
1.5 tsp caster sugar
1.5 tsp salt
320ml tepid water
600g strong bread flour, plus extra for dusting.
Olive oil for greasing

Rich tomato sauce

3 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
¼ tsp fresh oregano
Pinch of chilli flakes
2 tins chopped tomatoes
Generous pinch of sugar
Salt and pepper to season

Toppings – pick your own from: Mozzarella, cheddar, feta cheese, sliced ham and salami, olives, chopped chilli, mushrooms, fresh Basil, rocket

To make the dough, mix the yeast, sugar and salt together and tip into a measuring jug filled with the lukewarm water. Stir well and leave to dissolve.
Place the flour into a large mixing bowl and make a dip in the centre. Pour the yeast mixture into the dip and gradually mix it into the flour until it becomes a shaggy dough. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for ten minutes until smooth and springy.
Clean the mixing bowl and grease with a little olive oil. Place the dough back in and cover with greased cling film, then set it aside to rise until it has doubled in size (this will take about an hour).
While it’s proving, make the tomato sauce. Heat the oil in a deep frying pan over a medium heat and add the onion, garlic, oregano and chilli flakes.
Fry gently for 8-10 minutes until softened. Add the tomatoes and sugar, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat. Simmer gently for 30-40 minutes until the sauce is rich and syrupy. Season well with salt and pepper and allow to cool.
When the dough has risen, divide it into four pieces. Liberally grease four baking tins or trays. On a floured surface, roll the pieces out to fit the tins.
Heat the oven to 220/200 Fan/gas mark 6. Spread a quarter of the tomato sauce onto each pizza, and scatter over your favourite toppings. Bake for 10-12 minutes until the dough is lightly golden and the cheese is bubbling.
Remove from the oven, scatter with torn basil leaves and wild rocket and serve immediately.