How to make Pizza Express Funghi di Bosco

Pizza Express has delighted fans by releasing the recipe for their Funghi di Bosco Romana pizza.

The Italian favourite closed all of its restaurants six weeks ago amid the coronavirus pandemic, but now food fans can recreate the popular pizza at home with a simple nine-step recipe.

It comes after they shared their recipe on how to make their margherita, doughball and calzone, so fans can bake up the tasty treats at home. 

But while the other recipes informed fans how to create their pizza from scratch, the restaurant advised fans to skip a step in their latest post – suggesting it is best to buy their Margherita Romana base and then add mushrooms, garlic and rosemary and parsley to finish it off. 

Taking to Instagram, the chain described it as ‘the perfect all rounder’ that ‘packs a punch’.   

‘With its chunky portobello mushrooms, garlic oil and a double pinch of black – a rule started by our founder, Peter, for all mushroom recipes.

How to make Pizza Express Funghi di Bosco Romana at home

INGREDIENTS  

•  1 PizzaExpress Romana Margherita Speciale Pizza 
• 2 thinly sliced portobello mushrooms
• Pinch of rosemary  

•  15gms shaved Gran Milano cheese (or Parmesan) 
• 10ml garlic oil (or olive oil wil do) 
• Double pinch of black pepper
• Pinch of parsley 

 METHOD

 1. Preheat your oven to 180°C 

2. Open your PizzaExpress Romana Margherita Speciale pizza 

3. Thinly slice 2 portobello mushrooms 

4. Add the portobello mushrooms around the pizza in a spiral pattern all the way to the centre 

 5. Sprinkle with rosemary and black pepper 

6. Drizzle with garlic oil 

7. Cook in the oven for 8-10 minutes until golden brown 

8. Top the hot pizza with shaved Gran Milano cheese 

9. Top with chopped parsley 

While the other recipes make the pizza from scratch, in the latest Pizza Express have advised fans skip a step and buy their Margherita Romana base and then add mushrooms, garlic and rosemary and parsley to finish it off

For fans who want to make the recipe from scratch, they can make Pizza Express’ Margherita as a base, and then top with mushrooms. 

Pizza Express have made their pizzas and the dough balls for more than fifty years and have kept the recipe a tightly-guarded secret in that time.

But it’s followed McDonald’s and Greggs in taking the unprecedented step of sharing top-secret recipes for the very first time. 

And fans couldn’t contain their excitement at the release of the new recipe after it was posted on Instagram and Facebook this morning. 

‘My dreams have come true’ wrote one, while a second penned: ‘This makes me want to cry.’

A third added: ‘Helllllsss yeah.’

Fans couldn’t contain their excitement at the release of the new recipe after it was posted on Instagram and Facebook this morning

HOW TO MAKE PIZZA EXPRESS MARGHERITA PIZZA

Prep time: 40 mins | Cooking time: 10 – 12 mins | Makes: 1 large pizza

Ingredients

• 150ml warm water – around 27 degrees
•  1 teaspoon of sugar
• 15g fresh yeast (or 2 level teaspoons of dry yeast)
• 225g of plain flour (plus extra for working) 
• 1.5 teaspoons of salt
• Extra virgin olive oil (and a little for drizzling) 
•  80g of PizzaExpress passata (or any tomato passata you have) 
• 70g mozzarella (or any cheese you have)
• Pinch of oregano
• 1 Basil leaf (if you have one)
• Black pepper

Pizza Express also shared a clip of one of their staff members attempt of making the pizza at home

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 230°C.

2. Add the sugar and crumble the fresh yeast into warm water.

3. Allow the mixture to stand for 10 – 15 minutes in a warm place (we find a windowsill on a sunny day works best) until froth develops on the surface.

4. Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl, make a well in the middle and pour in the yeast mixture and olive oil.

5. Lightly flour your hands, and slowly mix the ingredients together until they bind.

6. Generously dust your surface with flour.

7. Throw down the dough and begin kneading for 10 minutes until smooth, silky and soft.

8. Place in a lightly oiled, non-stick baking tray (we use a round one, but any shape will do!)

9. Spread the passata on top making sure you go to the edge.

10. Evenly place the mozzarella (or other cheese) on top, season with the oregano and black pepper, then drizzle with a little olive oil.

11. Cook in the oven for 10 – 12 minutes until the cheese slightly colours.

12. When ready, place the basil leaf on top and tuck in!