Big Heart Pizza with Truffle
This stunning heart shaped pizza from Emma Marsden's Heart on a Plate book is a beautifully simple way to show someone you love them. A perfect dish for Valentine's Day foodies.
Introduction
For a really crisp base, heat the oven to the highest temperature and cook the pizzas on a preheated baking sheet to mimic the effect of a wood-fired oven. The final addition of truffle adds a wonderfully luxurious flavour.
Ingredients
| ¾ tsp | dried yeast |
| a pinch of sugar | |
| 135ml | warm water |
| 200g | strong bread flour, plus extra for dusting |
| ½ tsp | salt |
| 1 tsp | olive oil |
| For the topping: | |
| 4–6 tbsp | tomato passata |
| ½ | garlic clove, crushed |
| 2 | large handfuls of baby leaf spinach |
| 1 | ball mozzarella, sliced |
| 2 | eggs |
| Truffle shavings or truffle oil | |
| extra-virgin olive oil | |
| salt and freshly ground black pepper |
Method
Put the yeast in a bowl with the sugar. Pour in the warm water and stir. Set aside for 10 minutes to allow the yeast to activate. It will thicken and look frothy when ready.
Sift the flour into a large clean bowl and stir in the salt. Make a well in the centre and pour in the olive oil along with the yeast mixture. Stir with a table knife make a craggy dough, then bring together with your hands, mopping up any bits. Transfer the dough to a board and knead until it’s smooth and elastic. You shouldn’t need any extra flour at this stage, but if it’s really sticky, dust with a little more. Place the dough in a clean bowl, cover and set aside for 15 minutes.
Preheat the oven to its highest setting and heat two baking sheets.
Divide the dough in half and roll each piece into a rough circle on a lightly floured sheet of baking parchment. Take the middle of one side and tuck it down slightly towards the centre to create a heart shape. Do the same with the circle.
To make the topping, mix the passata and crushed garlic together and season well. Spread evenly over the pizza bases, smoothing it with the back of the spoon. Place half the spinach around the edge of each pizza, then top with the mozzarella. Slide the pieces of baking parchment onto the preheated baking sheets. Bake for 10 minutes then remove from the oven and crack an egg into the middle of each pizza. Return to the oven for another 3–5 minutes, until the egg is cooked to your liking.
To serve, drizzle over the extra virgin olive oil and garnish with shavings of truffle or a drizzle of truffle oil.
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