Greek Pizza with Whipped Feta and Herb Oil

Combine the bread flour, yeast, sugar, and fine sea salt in a large bowl, keeping the yeast and salt on opposite sides initially. Pour in the lukewarm water and olive oil, then mix until a shaggy dough forms. Turn out onto an unfloured surface and knead firmly for 10 minutes until the dough is smooth, supple, and passes the windowpane test — a small piece stretched thin should become translucent without tearing.

Shape the dough into a ball, place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with cling film, and leave to prove at room temperature for 1–2 hours until doubled in size, then refrigerate for a further 24–48 hours for a deeper, more complex flavour.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator 1 hour before baking to temper. Place a baking steel or heavy baking stone on the top rack of the oven and preheat to its maximum temperature (250–275°C / 480–530°F) for at least 45 minutes.

While the oven preheats, make the whipped feta base: combine the crumbled feta, cream cheese, minced garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, and black pepper in a food processor. Blitz for 2–3 minutes, scraping down the sides, until completely smooth and creamy. Set aside.

Make the herb oil: gently warm the olive oil in a small saucepan over the lowest heat for 2 minutes until fragrant but not frying, stir in the garlic and dried oregano, then immediately remove from the heat and set aside to steep.

Divide the proved dough into 2 equal portions. On a lightly floured surface, stretch each portion by hand into a rough 30 cm round, working from the centre outward and letting gravity do the work — avoid a rolling pin, which degrades the air structure in the crust.

Transfer one stretched dough round onto a floured pizza peel or the back of a flat baking tray. Spread half the whipped feta base across the dough, leaving a 2 cm border. Scatter over half each of the cherry tomatoes, red onion, bell pepper, kalamata olives, and courgette. Crumble over half the remaining feta, then dust with half the dried oregano and thyme. Drizzle with half the herb oil.

Slide the pizza directly onto the preheated steel or stone and bake for 10–12 minutes until the crust is deeply golden with dark char spots on the cornicione and the toppings are beginning to caramelise at the edges.

Remove the pizza from the oven, drizzle immediately with a little extra-virgin olive oil, and scatter over half the fresh spinach or rocket, parsley, and mint — the residual heat will just wilt the leaves. Squeeze over the lemon juice and finish with flaky sea salt. Repeat steps 7–9 for the second pizza.