I’m excited about this recipe as it’s made in a large sheet pan. No need to roll out and cook separate pizza rounds; perfect for a family or a crowd. It’s soft, with a crisp base, and easy for kids to eat; not too chewy with the perfect balance of air. My husband calls it ‘school lunch pizza’. I developed this recipe with Spelt Flour as Spelt is nutritionally superior to wheat, and is less inflammatory. The gluten in spelt has a different molecular make up to the gluten in modern wheat, making it easier to digest. It’s also higher in fibre which aids in the digestion of gluten. Spelt contains more protein, essential amino acids, vitamins and minerals than wheat, and is rich in iron, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc and niacin.

Before baking, we mentally divide the Pizza into 4 and top to taste. Toppings below indicate my favorite toppings.

Organic Ingredients, serves 4

290 Grams or mls. Water
10 Grams Sea Salt
8 Grams Brown Sugar
5 Grams Active Dry Yeast (make sure Yeast in newly bought as they can become inactive)
500 Grams White Spelt Flour

Note that it’s important to use White Spelt and not Whole Grain Spelt for this recipe.

Pizza Sauce, yields 2 cups sauce

1 x 18.3 oz/520 grams Jar Crushed Tomatoes
2 Large Shallots, peeled and roughly chopped
6 Cloves Garlic , peeled and toughly chopped
12 Leaves only fresh Oregano
1/2 Tsp. Celtic Sea Salt, or more, to taste
1/2 Tsp. Black Pepper, or more, to taste
3 Tbsps. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Toppings:

1 Lb. Fresh Mozzarella, shredded or balls
Graza Olive Oil, which is great for drizzling
1/2 A Red Onion, peeled and cut into thin crescents
3 Cloves Garlic, peeled & grated
1 Jalapeno pepper, de-seeded and finely diced, or pickled Jalapeño
Freshly Cracked Black Pepper, to taste

You will need

A weighing scale to measure dough ingredients
A half size sheet pan. Approx. 18”L x 13”W
An oven with a ‘proof’ setting

Note: To make a full sheet pan of pizza for more people, do the dough recipe x 2. Don’t double the measurements, just do the same thing twice resulting in two separate dough balls. Combine the dough at the very end on the sheet pan by pressing them both out together onto the pan. Sauce and toppings are enough for a full sheet pan pizza.

To make Pizza Sauce, heat Olive Oil in a deep pan or pot to medium heat. Add Shallots and saute for 3-4 minutes. Add Garlic and Oregano and saute for a minute. Add Crushed Tomatoes, Salt and Pepper and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low medium so that its still bubbling just a little. Cook for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool before putting into a food processor and blitzing until smooth.

To make Dough, place Water in a small pot and heat to just above room temperature, so that it’s lukewarm. Place Water in a large bowl glass or stainless steel bowl. Add Sea Salt, Sugar and Yeast to the liquid and using a whisk, mix well to incorporate. Add Flour into the mixture and using your hands mix well until you form a ball. Once you’ve formed a ball, place your ball on a wooden chopping board or work surface to knead. Do not place on a marble or cold counter top as dough does better with warmth.

Here is a video on how to knead dough. Don’t add any flour to your work surface if you can help it; as you knead the dough it will become less sticky. Knead for approx. 10 minutes, then form into a smooth ball and place it into your large bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Pop into the oven on ‘proof’ setting and leave to proof for 2 hours. By this point the Dough should’ve more than doubled in size. If it hasn’t, something went wrong, likely that your yeast was inactive.

Sprinkle a little bit of Flour on top of your dough ball - about 1/2 a teaspoons worth and on your fingers. Using your fingers, release the dough from the bottom of the bowl going round the bowl until its all released. With your fingers under the dough ball, and the sprinkled flour on top, flip the ball onto a chopping board. Fold the dough 10 times, folding in half, turning 180 degrees, pressing down with your palm, then folding again. Forming another ball at the end of this process.

Line your sheet pan with parchment paper. Add about 3 tablespoons full of Extra Virgin Olive Oil onto your parchment and rub all over evenly. Place the Dough Ball on the parchment paper and cover it with the bowl you proofed it in. Proof in the oven for 30 minutes longer.

Remove Dough from oven and uncover. Use your hands to flatten the dough to cover the surface area of the pan by pressing down and out with your fingers and palms. Once your dough is shaped evenly across your baking sheet you are ready to add your toppings.

Top with Pizza Sauce, Mozzarella and whatever else you like. You don’t need to use all the Sauce and Mozzarella, top to how you like your pizza. If I’m not doing Onions, Garlic and Chili my other favorites are Anchovies, Olives and Mushrooms. Finish with some Olive Oil, Salt & Pepper. Bake in a 425f oven for 20-25 minutes or so until the parts of the Crust and the Cheese start to brown. Leave to rest for a minute or two before slicing! Buon appetito.

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