You probably saw recently that Scott Deley was crowned The UK's Best Amateur Pizzaiolo, and if you're anything like us, you'll be desperate to know more about the pizzas!
Our competitors were asked to bake two pizzas, one an authentic Neapolitan Margherita, the other a pizza of their choice – fondly known as their Doughstopper!
Scott made us an incredible pizza, balancing chorizo and spice with smoky, creamy cheeses, and used pickled red onions for some acidity to cut through the fat & heat.
This pizza combines flavours and textures brilliantly, with toppings added before and after baking for a perfectly balanced slice. There’s some prep involved in this pizza - but trust us when we say it’s worth it!
Scott’s Smoky Chorizo Doughstopper
The following toppings are added before baking:
- Tomato base spiked with paprika
- Smoked scamorza and fior di latte mozzarella
- Prosciutto
- Finely diced or shredded chorizo
Once baked, add the rest of the toppings:
- Burrata
- Chorizo dust
- Pickled red onions
- Oregano & paprika parmesan crisps
The instructions for the individual components are below:
Sauce
- Pass 1 can of San Marzano tomatoes through a food mill, or simply crush them with your hands
- Add 1 tsp of sea salt and 2 tsp of paprika and mix through
Chorizo Dust
- Dice Chorizo into small cubes and fry in a little oil until the fat renders out and the chorizo starts to crisp
- Leave to cool on kitchen paper to absorb the remaining fat
- Blitz in a food blender until you achieve a fine crumb texture.
Pickled Onions (best made at least 24 hours before):
- Finely slice a small red onion and place into a jar
- Peel two cloves of garlic and add to the jar
- Add equal parts of water and apple cider vinegar to a pan
- Add 1 tbsp sugar and 1 tsp black peppercorns to the pan
- Heat the contents until they start to boil, then turn the heat down and let it simmer for 2 minutes until the sugar has dissolved
- Pour the liquid into the jar and leave to cool before putting the lid on
- Transfer to the fridge for a minimum of 24 hours
Oregano & Paprika Parmesan crisps
- Line a baking tray with baking paper
- Grate the parmesan and make a few small piles of the cheese on the baking paper
- Add a sprinkle of oregano and paprika to each pile
- Bake in the oven at 200°C until the cheese has melted, spread and starts to brown, approximately 8-10 minutes
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool and harden before breaking into small shards.
You can find Scott’s Instagram page using the handle @scottspizzaproject