Our Cookbook

Italian

Parma & rocket pizza

A margherita finished with prosciutto, rocket and shaved parmesan after baking — the residual heat wilts the leaves and softens the ham.

  • Yield1 × 12" pizza
  • Prep10m
  • Cook10m
  • Effortweeknight

Base (margherita)

  • 1 ball pizza dough
    Pizza oven pizza dough make 0.2× batch

    Ingredients

    • 1kg 00 pizza flour
    • 600g water
    • 30g salt
    • 2g fresh yeast, or 1g instant dry yeast

    Method

    1. Pour all the water into a large mixing bowl. Add the yeast and stir to dissolve.
    2. Add half the flour (500g) and mix by hand for 30 seconds.
    3. Add the remaining flour and mix for another 30 seconds.
    4. Add the salt and mix for a further 30 seconds until a shaggy dough forms.
    5. Turn the dough out onto a clean surface and knead for 10 minutes.
    6. Cover with a tea towel and rest on the counter for 10 minutes.
    7. Shape the dough into a smooth ball by dragging it across the work surface to build tension on the outside. Cover and rest for a further 45 minutes.
    8. Using scales, divide the dough into 250g portions. Shape each portion into a smooth ball and place in lightly oiled containers or a dough tray.
    9. Cover and leave to proof at room temperature (18°C) for 8 hours.
    10. Prep, cook and serve 🍕
    Full recipe
  • 3 tbsp tomato sauce
    Pizza tomato sauce make 0.25× batch

    Ingredients

    • 200g passata
    • 1 tbsp olive oil
    • 0.5 tsp fine salt
    • Pinch of sugar (balances acidity if the passata is sharp)

    Method

    1. Whisk everything together in a bowl.
    2. Taste and adjust salt; add a pinch of sugar if it tastes sharp.
    Full recipe
  • 100g fior di latte mozzarella, torn into pieces
  • A few fresh basil leaves

Finishing — added after baking

  • 4–6 slices Parma ham (prosciutto crudo)
  • A handful of rocket
  • Shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano
  • Olive oil to drizzle
  • Black pepper

Method

  1. Stretch the dough into a 12” round on a well-floured peel.
  2. Spread the tomato sauce thinly. Tear over the mozzarella, tuck in half the basil.
  3. Bake until the crust is charred and the cheese has melted (60–90 seconds in a pizza oven, 8–10 minutes at 250°C in a home oven).
  4. The moment the pizza comes out, drape the Parma ham across the surface — it should soften and warm but not cook.
  5. Top with rocket, shaved Parmigiano, the rest of the basil, a drizzle of olive oil, and a generous turn of black pepper.
  6. Slice and serve immediately.

Notes

Don’t bake the Parma ham — the contrast between hot, charred crust and cool, salty, gently-warmed ham is the whole point.

Sub-recipes

Pizza oven pizza dough

Makes 5 × 300g dough balls

Method

  1. Pour all the water into a large mixing bowl. Add the yeast and stir to dissolve.
  2. Add half the flour (500g) and mix by hand for 30 seconds.
  3. Add the remaining flour and mix for another 30 seconds.
  4. Add the salt and mix for a further 30 seconds until a shaggy dough forms.
  5. Turn the dough out onto a clean surface and knead for 10 minutes.
  6. Cover with a tea towel and rest on the counter for 10 minutes.
  7. Shape the dough into a smooth ball by dragging it across the work surface to build tension on the outside. Cover and rest for a further 45 minutes.
  8. Using scales, divide the dough into 250g portions. Shape each portion into a smooth ball and place in lightly oiled containers or a dough tray.
  9. Cover and leave to proof at room temperature (18°C) for 8 hours.
  10. Prep, cook and serve 🍕

Pizza tomato sauce

~200ml (enough for 3–4 pizzas)

Method

  1. Whisk everything together in a bowl.
  2. Taste and adjust salt; add a pinch of sugar if it tastes sharp.

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