Homemade pizza is the new barbecue. More and more people are cooking artisanal pizza in their back gardens these days and it’s thanks to companies like OONI. It’s safe to say this small Scottish company has revolutionised outdoor cooking. Ok, so this doesn’t have to specifically be an OONI pizza oven article (other brands are available), but it’s good if I keep mentioning it for SEO purposes.
I waited two years to buy myself a pizza oven and I curse myself for not doing it sooner. If you’re reading this and on the fence then do yourself a favour and get a pizza oven. It doesn’t have to be an OONI, but I would say from experience that they are phenomenal machines. With this in mind, we’ve wasted no time in making the essential OONI pizza recipes and wine pairings.
The Perfect OONI Pizza Dough & Sauce Recipes
First things first. If you’ve got a pizza oven the you’re going to want to make your own dough and sauce. Let’s not half-arse things. What’s the point in spending all that money on a pizza oven if you’re not going to go all out?!
See our super easy dough recipe below:
INGREDIENTS:
1,240g 00 Flour
720g Room Temperature Water
20g Ground Pink Salt
10g Instant Yeast
Generous Drizzle Extra Virgin Olive Oil
This will make six medium sized pizzas. Adjust the ratio accordingly.
METHOD
1. Set your scales to gram settings
2. Weigh out the flower, add to a mixing bowl
3. Weigh out the yeast an add to the flour
4. Weigh out the salt and add to the flour/yeast mix
5. Weigh out the water and gradually add it to the mix, all while kneading it together
6. When the water is added, knead together and add the lick of olive oil
7. Remove from bowl and knead together for 10-15 minutes, so the water is fully absorbed and it forms a big ball. If it still seems soggy then don’t be afraid to add more flour and continue kneading.
8. Cover the bowl with cling film or a wet tea towel and leave to proof in a room warm enough to start fermentation (12-18 degrees centigrade). The dough will be good to use after two hours, but for best results leave for 48 hours.
OONI Pizza Sauce Recipe
It’s so easy to buy premade sauce or just use passata, I get it. However, you need to trust me on this sauce. It’s worth the time and effort.
INGREDIENTS:
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Two Cans Good Quality Tomatoes
Two Garlic Cloves
1.5 Tablespoon Dried Oregano
One Good Squeeze of Tomato Puree
One Table Spoon Golden Caster Sugar
Small Ramekin of Cornflour
Large Clump of Fresh Basil
METHOD:
1. Set pan to a low-medium heat. Add olive oil
2. Add the garlic and cook for two minutes until slightly brown
3. Add the tomatoes to the pan and let it simmer for five minutes
4. Sprinkle the dried oregano and sugar into the mix and carry on simmering
5. Squeeze puree in and carry on simmering for two minutes
6. After two minutes take the ingredients and put in a blender, along with the basil
7. Blend until the sauce is smooth
8. Pour back into the pan and add the cornflour. Be sure to premix the cornflour in cold water first.
9. Let the sauce simmer, thicken and reduce for 10-15 minutes then take off the heat and put to one side
Trust these recipes for the base of your pizza and your can’t go wrong.
Pizza & Wine Pairings
As mentioned before, we’re living in an amazing era of outdoor cooking, so it’s only right that we elevate our artisan pizzas with great wine.
Pizza is a simple and unpretentious dish. In my opinion the classics are the best. You don’t want to overload with too many toppings, you just want to keep it simple and tasty. Pizza like this calls for unpretentious medium-bodied wines that are packed with acidity. This is because the tomato sauce has a lot of acidity, so the wine needs to stand up to it and not be overpowered by it, but vice versa, you don’t want a really really complex wine that will overpower the flavours in the pizza.
All Rounders – Wines That Go With Most Pizzas
Lighter and fruity reds e.g.
- Sangiovese (the main grape in Chianti)
- Gamay (The grape used in Beaujolais)
- New-World Pinot Noir (Odd Lot sustainable Pinot Noir from Monterrey is a great shout),
- Barbera
- Montepulciano d’Abruzzo.
All these grapes are thinner skinned and have low-moderate tannin. They’re all high in acidity and the flavour profile sits within the fresh red fruit clusters. Essentially, they’re inoffensive wines that will please most people and pleasantly compliment classic Neapolitan style pizza.
Pepperoni & Sausage Pizza Wine Pairings
When you start playing around with toppings is when it gets a little trickier. This is because we’re adding another flavour element to the pizza. So, not only do we need to take into account the flavour of the sauce but now we need to think about the toppings. If you’re into your meat feasts then these are the wines for you.
- Grenache/Syrah blends e.g. Cotes du Rhone.
- Single Varietal Garnacha
- New World Syrah. (Errazuriz Aconcagua Costa Syrah is amazing)
- Nero d’Avola
- Pinotage
The key with these wines is to find something two-five years old. Something that is still considered youthful, so it has all the acidity and vibrancy to pair with the sauce but also the body and structure to compete with the texture, saltiness and spice from the meats.
Ham & Pineapple Pizza Wine Pairings
There’s only one wine in my opinion that you should pair with ham and pineapple and that is…
Basically, the acidity in Riesling and the little bit of residual sugar left will pair with the natural sweetness of the pineapple. Game changing.
Chicken & Pesto Pizza Wine Pairings
The key with this pizza for the wine to be able to stand up to the rich flavours in the pesto, while also not clashing with the sauce.
- Albariño
- Sauvignon Blanc (preferably from Loire Valley in France)
- Chablis
These styles of wine are crisp, elegant and high in acidity. They come from cooler climates with the exception of Albariño, which comes from North-West Spain (although it is the coolest climate in Spain). This means that the wines retain lovely green apple and pair aromas. These greener and fresher flavours will help stand up to the basil in the pesto.
BBQ Chicken Pizza & Wine Pairings
So BBQ based pizzas are a contentious subject. The traditionalists say they have no place in the world of pizza, but the contemporary pizza lovers are a fan. It’s been aided by the big chains like Dominos and Papa John’s offering them too. I don’t mind a BBQ base pizza, as long as the sauce is a good one. When done right, BBQ sauce can be complex and full of flavour. See below our BBQ chicken pizza wine pairings then read on for our BBQ sauce recipe!
- Appassimento
- Malbec (The younger the better, as it will be more fruit forward)
Appassimento is where the grapes have been dried before fermentation. This is done mainly in red wine. It concentrates the juice inside the grapes. The result in the wine is rich and off-dry wine with concentrated flavours of slightly dried fruits. Examples of this are Amarone, any wines that say Ripasso, some Primitivo wines too.
BBQ Base Recipe
INGREDIENTS:
Two tins of good quality tomatoes
Two cloves of garlic
One tablespoon of honey (organic if possible)
Henderson’s Relish (or Worcestershire Sauce)
Very generous ‘glug’ of unfiltered apple cider vinegar
One tablespoon of smoked paprika
One teaspoon of chilli powder/cayenne pepper
Three tablespoons golden caster sugar
Small ramekin of cornflour
METHOD:
1. Heat a pan with olive oil, add the garlic on a low heat and let it brown for two minutes
2. Turn up the heat to a low-medium heat. Add the apple cider vinegar and let it reduce
3. When the cider vinegar has reduced add the tomatoes and let it reduce or five minutes
4. Add the remaining ingredients to the pan, stir in, turn to a low heat and let it reduce for five minutes
5. After it has reduced slightly, add the cornflour to thicken it up. Be conservative with it. You don’t want soup but you don’t want sludge.
6. Taste the sauce. Remember, everything is subjective so if you want it tangy then add more cider vinegar, if you want it smokier then add more smoked paprika, spicier then add more chilli, sweeter then add more sugar. However, keep in mind that balance is key. It’s ok to have a distinctive characteristic but you don’t want one to overpower the rest.
That’s All Folks!
That’s our OONI pizza & wine pairing list. We hope you found it useful, but more importantly we hope you have fun with the wine pairings!
Oh and just remember!
We understand that service and communication is key. That’s why we offer free same working day delivery to all South Yorkshire addresses on orders £20 and above. Just use the checkout code SYorks21 (same working day delivery if order is placed before 2pm).
We have to charge a delivery fee to folks further afield. However we’ve subsidised these costs and it will only cost you £7.95 for a courier delivery. Better yet, if you spend £90 or more then we’ll cover the full courier cost!
