Matthews Cotswold Flour is thrilled to announce the appointment of Rich Payne as its first ever Pizza Ambassador. Renowned for his pizza passion through his Instagram account, Dough and Behold, Rich inspires bakers and food enthusiasts worldwide. Rich's creative approach and obsession of perfecting the art of pizza aligns perfectly with Matthews Cotswold Flour's dedication to crafting quality ingredients and love of baking.

Rich's baking journey started in his mid-20s when he turned his hand to baking bread.His passion ignited further when he bought an Ooni 3 pizza oven in 2017 and his quest for creating the ultimate Neapolitan-style pizza began. In 2017 he started documenting his journey through his Instagram handle @dough_and_behold as he became absorbed in watching tutorials to hone his craft, connect with baking communities around the globe and experiment with techniques. 

Through his role as a Pizza Ambassador, Rich will share his tips and techniques with home bakers. He believes that baking should always be fun and that failure is simply part of the learning process. “I'm not an expert, and I don't claim to be. I love to experiment, sometimes fail, and then share those experiences with the community,” he says. “For me, baking is about discovery, joy, and sharing the excitement when something amazing happens, whether it's a successful loaf or a bubbling focaccia. Even now I can't quite believe how my life has been changed thanks to flour, water, salt and yeast!”

Bertie Matthews, MD of Matthews Cotswold Flour says, “We're delighted to have Rich Payne on board as our Pizza Ambassador and look forward to the knowledge, passion, and energy he will bring. His authentic approach and love for creating delicious, homemade pizzas will inspire bakers everywhere to reach for the best ingredients and enjoy the process of pizza making as much as the end result.”

Rich draws inspiration from his background in visual effects, applying the same learnings to pizza making. “I think of pizza as a colour wheel, looking for colours that complement each other, and then matching ingredients to those colours. It's a visual process that guides my recipe development.”

He continues, “For me, baking and pizza making should always be fun. I will never, ever, not get excited about a steaming hot pizza coming out of an oven, lifting the lid of a combi cooker on a loaf of sourdough and gasping at either the success or failure, or flicking a focaccia bubble and popping it with your finger! It's all good, all of it. There are of course rules to learn, but you can have great fun testing them too!”

Q&A with Rich Payne

Favourite flour?

“My go-to flour for pizza is Matthews Cotswold Pizza Flour. It's a dream for creating lively, puffy and pillowy dough. Whether I'm making a classic pizza or focaccia, it always delivers a great result. I'm always experimenting and this flour gives me the flexibility to create doughs that are both full of flavour and visually stunning.”

Top tip for making the best pizza?

“Time is crucial. Good dough needs proper fermentation. I spent years rushing through dough recipes, but now I know the magic happens when you let it rest and develop overnight. I always encourage people to make their dough on Friday night – by Saturday afternoon or evening, you'll have pizza dough that's truly special.”

What's one ingredient or tool in your kitchen you can't live without? 

“Salt, I love salt so much. I hold back adding it to meals as I cook them, just so I can add copious amounts on top once I've made them. Olive oil, good olive oil is essential and since turning 50 I absolutely have a tablespoon every day! Is it working? I'm not sure. Tool-wise? It has to be my pizza dough spatula. I'm lost without it.” 

[Ends]

Hi-res images are available here.

The Buffalo Mozzarella Deluxe Pizza

By Rich Payne
Makes: 4 x 275g dough balls
Prep Time: 20 hours (based on method below)
Bake Time: 60-70 seconds @430°C in a pizza oven

Ingredients

655g Cotswold Pizza Flour

425g water (65% hydration)

20g salt (3%)

0.64g fresh yeast (or Instant Dried Yeast 0.3g)

Mutti Polpa tomato sauce

Grana Padano, for grating

Basil leaves

Fresh mozzarella

Fresh red and green Jalapeno peppers

Olive oil, for drizzling

Dough Method

This recipe follows a 20-hour fermentation process at room temperature - around 21°C. The method below assumes you start at 5pm the day before to bake at 1pm the following day.

Add all the flour into a mixing bowl (using a food mixer). Add 80% of your water to the bowl. Crumble the fresh yeast into the bowl (or use dried yeast). Turn your mixer on to a slow speed and mix until there are no dry bits. Add a little more water if necessary, but not all of it yet.

Once there are no dry bits, cover the bowl and rest for 30-45 minutes. This allows the dough to absorb the water and helps gluten develop. After the rest, add the salt and the remaining water into the mixer. Mix at a slow speed until combined, then increase the speed for 1-2 minutes until the dough becomes smooth. Stop the mixer and let the dough rest for 10 minutes.

After resting, mix the dough for another minute. If the dough feels smooth, remove it from the mixer. If the dough is still a bit lumpy, rest and repeat the process until it becomes smooth. Once the dough is smooth, transfer it to a clean work surface and gently shape it into a ball.

Use a dough scraper to create surface tension and shape the dough into a tight ball. Place the dough ball in a lightly oiled container with a lid. Leave it to bulk prove at room temperature overnight (15 hours).

The next morning (8am), turn the dough out onto a work surface and divide it into 4 x 275g dough balls. Shape each ball into a tight, smooth ball by folding the dough into itself several times. Place the dough balls into a lightly oiled breakfast bowl or small dough tray and cover with cling film (or silicone covers for a more eco-friendly option).

Let the dough balls rest at room temperature for another 5 hours, or you can leave them overnight for an even longer rest. Both methods work well.

Making the pizza

Stretch the first dough ball to around 10 inches in diameter. Add toppings - spread a layer of tomato sauce. Grate a little Grana Padano over the sauce. Tear a few fresh basil leaves and sprinkle them on top. Add slices of fresh mozzarella. Slice up some fresh red and green Jalapeno peppers and scatter them over the pizza. Drizzle a bit of olive oil on top.

Bake in a pizza oven at 430°C for 60-70 seconds or until the crust is golden and bubbly.

While the pizza is still steaming hot, quickly tear a ball of Buffalo Mozzarella into smaller pieces and add it to the pizza. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt.

The Buffalo mozzarella will melt slightly, adding an extra creamy, soft texture to the pizza.

Editor's Notes

The two hundred year old family business, Matthews Cotswold Flour, is Britain's leading speciality flour producer boasting a range of over 100 varieties of flour and providing an unrivalled choice for both amateur and professional bakers. Matthews Cotswold Flour is committed to supporting regenerative food sources, developing an unparalleled range of top quality, award-winning, products and inspiring, educating and partnering with the nation's artisan and home bakers. 

Heritage: With a milling legacy spanning eight generations, Matthews Cotswold Flour is one of the UK's oldest family-run flour mills. Trading grain and milling flour in the heart of the Cotswolds since the 1800s, the mill believes passionately that their local partnerships, traditional stoneground milling methods and premium grains make for better baking. They are proud to offer premium quality Organic and Stoneground Wholegrain flour, using grain from local farmers and time-honoured milling techniques. With an eye to the future and wanting to share their wealth of milling experience, Matthews Cotswold Flour is launching a New Generation Milling Apprenticeship programme that encourages and supports the next generation of millers.

Regenerative Farming: Through their local Cotswold Grain Partnership and a system of fair trade pricing, Matthews Cotswold Flour works with farmers to grow in a regenerative way that protects the soil and develops wildlife.  They are supporting the Regenerative Revolution on farms around the country and promoting a more diverse agricultural landscape that supports soil health and different grain varieties. By giving back some profits to the farmers, Matthews Cotswold Flour is able to support new regenerative farming practices as they work to increase regenerative farming practices across all their suppliers.

Product Range: Matthews Cotswold Flour is Britain's leading speciality flour producer supplying a range of over 100 varieties to professional and home bakers through its online shop and retail and wholesale outlets. It is proud to work with Britain's best bakers (as voted by the British Baking Awards). Its product range offers a huge selection of artisan flour including unique blends of ancient and heritage grains. Matthews maintains one of the strictest grain selection methods for their specialty flour. By only selecting the top one percent of grain they ensure quality and consistency for master and home bakers across the country.

Awards: Matthews Cotswold Flour boasts a host of awards for many of the products in its outstanding range of flour. Their award-winning flour is inspired, grown, milled, baked, and created by their close knit community of partners. They are proud to have won 20 great taste awards in the last two years alone.

Baking Community: The Cotswold Flour Baking Club  was set up by Matthews Cotswold Flour to inspire a new generation of bakers with recipes, tips, videos, events, and collaboration with master bakers across the UK. Anyone can join this rapidly growing community and enhance their baking journey. By sharing knowledge, ideas, inspiration, and stories The Cotswold Flour Baking Club aims to create an incredible baking experience for all its members. 

For more information, an interview with Rich Payne, samples, recipes and images please contact Harry Hook - harry@rawfoodanddrinkpr.co.uk.