This method is the best way to make Neapolitan pizza at home, unless of course, you happen to have a Neapolitan stone oven in your kitchen. The frying pan and grill combo replicates the intense heat you need to cook the pizza quickly – and ensure that the dough does not dry out and become biscuity.

There are three stages to this recipe – making and proving the dough, making the pizza base and then making the pizza itself in a frying pan. This recipe is for a traditional Margherita, but you can of course add other toppings once it is in the frying pan – just remember that less is more. So here goes… Alternatively, you can catch up with the Pizza Pilgrims at this weekend’s Big Feastival in Kingham.

Oxford Mail:

1kg ‘00’ flour with a high gluten content 2g fresh baker’s yeast
600ml cold water
30g table salt

Tip the flour on to your work service and make a well in the centre. Dissolve your yeast in the water and pour into the middle of the well a little at a time whilst using your hands to bring the walls of the flour in so that the water begins to thicken. Once you’ve reached the consistency of custard, add the salt and bring in the rest of the flour until it comes together as a dough. Knead for 10 to 15 minutes.

Cover and leave to rest for 10 minutes before kneading again quickly for 10 seconds (this helps to develop the flavour and the gluten).

Divide the dough into 200g balls and leave to rest overnight or for at least eight hours (24 hours is optimal, 48 hours maximum) in a sealed container or a deep baking dish sprinkled with flour and covered in clingfilm. Remember to leave space for each of your dough balls because, as the gluten relaxes, they will spread out to take up twice the diameter that they do initially.

After proving, the dough balls are ready to use straight away. We would recommend always making this amount of dough, even if you are only making pizza for a few people. You might want a second and pizza dough is fine to freeze once it has proved. Just defrost it in the fridge next time you want pizza – it’s easier and quicker than ordering a takeaway.