Barry local Steve Francis is one of the millions of people who took up something new whilst he was stuck at home, deciding to buy a pizza oven and taking to the internet to teach himself the skills needed to create pizzas.
It was harder than expected and produced “rubbish” pizzas, so it was put away until last summer when Mr Francis discovered a new urge to develop his pizza making skills and began making the dish for the entire neighbourhood from his garden, purely as an excuse to practice his dough making.
The response from his neighbours was so supportive that he was encouraged to take the leap and turn this hobby into a fully fledged pop up, thus creating Backyard Dough Co. which offers fresh piping hot pizzas straight from a back garden on Barry Island.
Now, whenever he has a free weekend outside his day job, Mr Francis chooses to set up his gazabo and make pizzas for the people of Barry and the Vale alongside bringing the experience to local pubs and private events and the smell of freshly cooked dough to his cul-de-sac.
Mr Francis told the Barry and District News: “The support is the reason I did it.
“You can talk yourself out of it for so long but the owner of the local pub said ‘just do it’.
“If it didn’t work, it didn’t work and I could just carry on making them for friends and family.”
The business has only grown in popularity since its launch, with word travelling fast about the airy Neapolitan pizzas that emulate a taste of Italy.
Every single pizza is made from scratch, with the Neapolitan dough making process beginning 24 hours earlier. Once mixed and kneaded, it is left to ferment at room temperature just like the old days in Naples, before each dough ball is shaped and balled up by hand.
The pizza sauce is made on the day from fresh plum tomatoes, and all toppings are of the highest quality.
Each pizza is then stretched, topped and baked at around 500 degrees for just 90 seconds giving it that puffy crust that Neapolitan pizzas are famous for.
Mr Francis describes the dough making process as an art, full of trial and error before he mastered the final product that customers are served today.
When asked why he thinks his pop up has taken off so swiftly, Mr Francis simply replied: “People are after something authentic.”
Those interested in chowing down on a pizza from Backyard Dough Co. should keep up to date with their pop ups on social media to stay in the loop when they are announced.
