Parma ham, fig and stilton sourdough pizza

Begin by preparing the sourdough pizza base two days ahead of cooking

Whisk the yeast and sugar into the water, then whisk in the sourdough starter 

Add in the strong bread flour along with the salt and stir well with a wooden spoon until you have a rough, shaggy dough

Knead until the dough is elastic and smooth, around 10 minutes 

Transfer the dough to a clean bowl and cover with cling film 

Set aside at room temperature and leave to proof for 2 hours, or until the dough has almost doubled in size

After 2 hours, divide the dough into two pieces

Wrap each piece in cling film and leave to rise in the fridge for 2 days 

To make the tomato sauce, heat the oil over a medium heat then add in the red onion

Once fragrant, add in the garlic and cook for a couple of minutes 

Add in the tinned tomatoes and cook down for 10 minutes, add the oregano then season to taste with salt and pepper

Next, prepare the pizza oven for cooking the pizza and dust a pizza peel with semolina

Use your fingertips to flatten the middle of the dough, gently pushing it out and creating a crust as you go

Lift the dough onto the back of your hands, then use the weight of the dough to gently stretch it out even more

Place the dough onto the dusted pizza peel, then top with the tomato sauce, stilton, microplaned parmesan and figs

Cook in the pizza oven for around 5 minutes, turning every minute or so to avoid burning. Once the figs are caramelised and the dough has cooked through, remove the pizza from the oven and repeat with the second pizza

Garnish each pizza with the parma ham, fresh thyme, a couple of flakes of parmesan cheese and black pepper