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Some of the best pizza I have ever had was made in an Italian bakery, not a pizzeria. It's the kind of pizza that is heavily topped with tomato and garlic with no cheese.

The crust is firm and chewy and leaves a smooth olive oil taste in your mouth.

The dough is simply 500 grams (a generous pound) of 70 per cent hydration lean dough that has been rolled out using olive oil instead of flour. It's pressed into the baking pan and dimpled with your fingers.

The topping is made with Plum (Italian) tomatoes. The secret is to pierce them with a knife and then squeeze the heck out of them with your bare hands. Pulverizing them like this creates a heterogeneous texture of large and small pieces.

Ingredients:

One 796ml (28oz) can of Plum tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
2 cloves of freshly pressed garlic
4 teaspoons olive oil
1 tablespoon of dried basil
1 1/2 tablespoons dried oregano

Empty the can of tomatoes in a large bowl. Poke each one with a knife and squeeze the juice out of them with your hands. Leave some large and small pieces. Drain off the liquid to reduce the total volume by half.

Add the other ingredients and stir together. Let it sit for a few hours before using it. You can also take 1/2 cup of this and blend it until smooth to make excellent traditional pizza sauce.

Spread the tomato sauce over the dough and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Allow to cool for 30 minutes before serving.

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