Sausage and Caramelized Onion Pizza

Combine the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt in a large bowl, keeping the salt and yeast on opposite sides before mixing. Add the water and olive oil, then bring together into a shaggy dough. Turn out onto an unfloured surface and knead firmly for 10 minutes until smooth, supple, and slightly tacky. Divide into 2 equal balls, place in lightly oiled bowls, and cover tightly with cling film.

Refrigerate the dough for a minimum of 24 hours and up to 72 hours — the long cold ferment develops flavour and extensibility. Remove from the fridge 2 hours before shaping.

Place a large heavy-based skillet or sauté pan over medium-low heat. Melt the butter with a splash of olive oil, add the sliced onions, thyme, and a generous pinch of salt, and stir to coat. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring every 5–8 minutes, for 45 minutes until the onions are deeply golden, jammy, and reduced to roughly a third of their original volume. Set aside to cool.

While the onions cook, combine the crushed San Marzano tomatoes, minced garlic, dried oregano, a pinch of salt, and a drizzle of olive oil in a bowl. Stir well and set aside — no cooking required; the raw sauce finishes on the hot pie.

Place a pizza stone or heavy baking steel on the highest oven rack. Preheat the oven to its maximum temperature — ideally 280–300°C (fan) — for at least 45 minutes so the stone is thoroughly saturated with heat.

Lightly flour your work surface and stretch each dough ball by hand into a rough 30–32 cm round, working from the centre outward and letting gravity help. Aim for a slightly raised edge and a thin, even centre — avoid a rolling pin, which degasses the crust.

Dust a pizza peel or the back of a flat baking tray generously with semolina. Lay the stretched dough on top and give it a gentle shake to confirm it slides freely.

Spread a thin, even layer of tomato sauce over the dough, leaving a 2 cm border. Scatter over half the grated mozzarella, then distribute half the caramelized onions evenly across the surface.

Pinch the sausage meat into small, irregular 2 cm pieces and distribute across the pizza — leaving gaps allows the fat to render and the edges to crisp rather than steam. Scatter over the Pecorino Romano, fennel seeds, and chilli flakes, then finish with the remaining mozzarella.

Slide the pizza onto the hot stone and bake for 8–11 minutes until the crust is puffed and charred in spots, the cheese is bubbling and beginning to brown, and the sausage has reached an internal temperature of 74°C — check the thickest piece with a meat thermometer. Repeat with the second pizza.

Remove from the oven, scatter fresh basil leaves over immediately, and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil. Rest for 2 minutes before slicing.