Recipes

Sweet strawberry, basil & balsamic pizzas

Try this new flavour combo as a dessert rather than the usual main course. Fun to make with the kids and a great talking point after a summery barbecue.

Serves 8

Prep: 40 minutes

Rising: 1¼ hours – 1 hour 20 minutes

Cook: 12-15 minutes

300g (11oz) strong white bread flour

¼ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons caster sugar

1½ teaspoons fast action dried yeast

25g (1oz) butter, melted

1 egg, beaten

150 ml (¼ pint) warm water

Topping

125g pack Abergavenny goats cheese log, cut into 8 slices

450g (1lb) strawberries, hulled, halved or quartered

Handful basil leaves

25g (1oz) butter, melted

2 tablespoons caster sugar

4 teaspoons balsamic glaze or balsamic vinegar

1.       Add the flour, salt, sugar and yeast to a large mixing bowl and stir together. Add the melted butter, beaten egg and warm water and mix to a soft but not sticky dough.

2.       Knead the dough for 5 minutes on a lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic. Put into a bowl and cover the top with oiled clingfilm. Leave in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in size.

3.       Knead the dough for a second time then cut into 8 pieces. Roll each piece out to a rough shaped circle with a diameter of about 12.5cm (5 inches) with a rolling pin then put on to 2 oiled baking sheets. Crumble a slice of cheese over each pizza then top with the strawberries and basil leaves torn into pieces. Cover loosely with oiled clingfilm and leave to rise for 15-20 minutes until beginning to puff up around the edges. Preheat the oven to 220°C, 200°C fan assisted, Gas 7.

4.       Remove the clingfilm and drizzle the pizzas with the butter and sprinkle with the sugar. Bake for 12-15 minutes until the pizzas are golden and the bases are dry.

5.       Drizzle with the balsamic glaze or vinegar and serve warm. 

Cook’s tip

Balsamic glaze is a thicker reduced version of balsamic vinegar and sold in the supermarket alongside the other vinegars, but balsamic vinegar can be used too.