There are plenty of rules in cooking, but not in pizza recipes. Just follow your stomach.  I have included the ingredients that I used to make this pizza, but you can ignore or use them at your pleasure.

For the base, I have used the sourdough recipe that I wrote about some time ago. Just be a little more generous with the olive oil and the salt, and the sourdough makes a great pizza base. You can make it as thin or as thick as you like – a feature in pizzas that seems to split eaters into two camps.

For the pizza base
200g sourdough starter
400g flour (bakers or strong)
200ml warm tap water
20g sea salt

Place all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and bring them together using a clean hand. When the mixture has roughly combined, turn it on to a clean work surface and knead for approximately 15-20 minutes. Test the texture of the dough by taking a small ball of dough and stretch it out to make a window between your fingers. The texture is ideal if you can form a window in the dough without tearing it. If you can see the silhouette of your fingers through the thin dough window, it is right. If it tears, keep kneading until you reach this point.

Place the dough in a large bowl lightly wiped with olive oil, cover with cling film and leave it to prove in a warm spot for at least two hours. When the dough has tripled in size, turn it out onto a clean surface and punch the air out.

Divide the dough into even portions. Take each portion, one at a time, and fold it into thirds. Then stretch it out again and fold it into thirds again. Then shape the dough in to the classic pizza shape. Place the dough on to a lined baking tray. Repeat the process until you have used all the dough.

Return the dough back to the same warm place in the kitchen for a second prove for about an hour.

When it is time to make the pizza, pre-heat the oven to 200°C. Allow the oven to heat for about 10 minutes to ensure it is hot.

For the topping
1 cup good quality tomato passata
100g grilled eggplant / aubergine slices
100g grilled capsicum slices
100g pancetta
100g buffalo mozzarella
Fresh rosemary
Sea salt and pepper

Add the ingredients so the top of your pizza. Take care not to be too generous or you will end up with a soggy base. I tear buffalo mozzarella into small chunks and scatter them across the top – it is a much better version than grated cheese.

When the oven is ready, place the pizzas in to the middle of the oven and cook for about 20 minutes.