Makes 4 pizzas
Ingredients
- 4 x 250g pizza dough balls
- About 700g ripe heritage tomatoes, mixed sizes, colours and shapes
- 4 medium garlic bulbs
- 250g buffalo mozzarella
- 100g mature cheddar, grated
- Small handful of marjoram leaves, picked
- A few thyme sprigs, leaves picked
- 6 tbsp olive oil
- Fine semolina, for dusting
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Preheat your pizza oven to about 175°C.
Cut the tomatoes in half or, if they're particularly large, into quarters or eighths. Arrange them, cut side up, on a large roasting tray. Nestle the whole garlic bulbs among the tomatoes. Drizzle over 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, season generously with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, then scatter over half the thyme and half the marjoram.
Slide the tray into the oven and roast the tomatoes and garlic gently for 45–60 minutes, turning the tray every 10–12 minutes so everything cooks evenly. The aim is to drive off some of the moisture from the tomatoes, concentrating their flavour without letting them collapse completely. They're ready when they've shrunk a little, darkened around the edges and look lightly caramelised. The garlic should feel soft when gently squeezed.
Increase the heat of the pizza oven until the baking stone reaches 400–450°C.
Stretch one dough ball out on a lightly floured surface. Push the air from the centre towards the edge with your fingertips, then gently stretch the dough into a 30cm round.
Cut about 1cm from the top of one roasted garlic bulb. Being careful not to burn yourself, squeeze the soft garlic flesh over the pizza base and spread it around with the back of a spoon. It doesn't need to be perfectly even.
Scatter over a quarter of the slow-roasted tomatoes, letting them fall naturally over the base. Tear over a quarter of the buffalo mozzarella, then sprinkle over a quarter of the grated cheddar. Finish with a little of the remaining thyme and marjoram, drizzle with about ½ tablespoon of the remaining olive oil and season lightly with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Dust your peel with a little fine semolina, slide it beneath the pizza and launch it into the oven.
Bake for 1–2 minutes, turning the pizza every 20 seconds or so to ensure an even bake.
Lift the pizza from the oven, slice and serve immediately.
Repeat with the remaining dough and toppings.
Domestic oven method
Preheat the oven to 250°C/230°C fan/Gas 9, or as hot as your oven will go. Place a pizza stone or a heavy baking tray into the oven and leave it to heat for at least 30 minutes.
Arrange the tomatoes and garlic on a roasting tray exactly as above and roast them at 150°C/130°C fan/Gas 2 for 1½ hours, turning the tray every 20–30 minutes, until the tomatoes have shrunk, darkened around the edges and the garlic is completely soft.
Increase the oven temperature to 250°C/230°C fan/Gas 9 and allow the stone or baking tray to become thoroughly hot again if necessary.
Stretch one dough ball into a 30cm round. Squeeze the soft roasted garlic over the base and spread it around with the back of a spoon. Scatter over a quarter of the tomatoes, tear over a quarter of the mozzarella and sprinkle over a quarter of the cheddar. Finish with the remaining herbs, a drizzle of olive oil and a little seasoning.
Carefully slide the pizza onto the hot stone or baking tray and bake for 8–12 minutes, until the crust is crisp and golden and the cheese is bubbling. If you like a little more colour on top, place the pizza under a hot grill for the final 1–2 minutes.
Serve immediately and repeat with the remaining pizzas.
