Pizza

Heat the oven as hot as it will go, usually 240–250 °C, and bake pizza on a preheated tray or stone for about 7–12 minutes. It is ready when the base is crisp and the cheese is bubbling and browned in spots.

Preheat the oven and baking tray or pizza stone thoroughly, and keep wet toppings such as fresh mozzarella, mushrooms and courgette in check. Drain mozzarella and cook watery vegetables briefly before adding them.

Yes. Cool slices promptly, wrap them well or seal them in a freezer container, and freeze for up to two months for the best quality. Reheat from frozen in a 200 °C oven until piping hot, usually 10–15 minutes.

For a crisp base, warm a slice in a covered frying pan over a low-medium heat for 3–5 minutes; add a few drops of water beside it and cover briefly to melt the cheese. An oven at 180 °C also works well for several slices.

Tomato and mozzarella pair well with basil, olives, mushrooms, peppers, anchovies or cooked sausage. Add delicate leaves such as rocket after baking, and use cooked toppings rather than raw meat or seafood.

For a quick base, use a flatbread, pitta or tortilla: add a light layer of toppings and bake at 220 °C until crisp, about 5–8 minutes. These make thinner, crunchier pizzas than conventional dough.

A pizza roll is a small parcel of dough with filling, rather than an open-topped pizza. Per 100 g, a pizza roll has 328 kcal and 49.5 g carbohydrate, compared with 210 kcal and 22 g carbohydrate in pizza.

Pizza provides 8.2 g of protein per 100 g. The amount in a slice depends on its size and toppings; cheese and meat toppings usually contribute more protein than a vegetable-only topping.