Pizza Margherita
- 1/2 cups Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 4 ounces, weight Fresh Mozzarella Cheese
- 1 teaspoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 can Crushed Tomatoes, 28 Oz. Can
- 1 can Whole Tomatoes, 28 Oz. Can
- 3 cloves Finely Chopped Garlic
- 5 sprigs (or So) Fresh Basil
- 1 teaspoon Active Dry Yeast
- 1/2 cups Warm Water
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1- 1/2 cup All-purpose Flour
- 1/2 teaspoons Freshly Ground Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1 teaspoon Oregano (fresh Or Dried)
- First make the marinara (the recipe makes much more than youll need for the pizza, but it freezes great & is excellent with pasta):
- Add olive oil to large pot or saucepan over medium heat.
- Add garlic and stir until its translucent about 7 or 8 minutes.
- Add canned tomatoes, oregano, salt and pepper and bay leaves and stir together.
- Turn heat to low and simmer for about an hour.
- Taste frequently.
- Its delicious.
- While the marinara is simmering, preheat the oven to 450.
- If youre using a pizza stone, make sure to place it on the bottom rack of the oven and give it plenty of time to heat up.
- Now onto the pizza dough:
- Combine the flour and 1 teaspoon of salt in a large mixing bowl.
- Add warm water to a separate small bowl and sprinkle the yeast on top until it is foamy (about 10 minutes or so).
- Im lazy, so I actually do this in the measuring cup instead of a separate bowl fewer dishes.
- When the yeast is ready, add the water to the flour and salt mixture and add the olive oil.
- Mix with a fork until mostly combined and then mix using your hands until you have a nice, sticky ball.
- Knead the dough for about a minute or until smooth.
- Lightly coat the bottom of the bowl with olive oil and add the ball of dough, turning once to coat the dough with oil.
- Cover with a damp towel or plastic wrap and set aside.
- Let the dough rise for 1 1 1/2 hours.
- Once the dough has risen, place onto a floured surface and gently pat down to remove the air.
- I actually like to roll out my dough on a piece of aluminum foil and then keep it on the foil to cook on the pizza stone for about three minutes.
- This adds extra crispiness to the crust and makes it easier to work with when you add toppings.
- After it has cooked for three minutes, remove the dough from the foil and add the toppings.
- Spread the fresh marinara all over the pizza.
- Add the fresh mozzarella and sliced fresh basil.
- Bake at 450 degrees directly on the pizza stone for 5-6 more minutes until done.
- Bon appetit!
olive oil, mozzarella cheese, olive oil, tomatoes, tomatoes, garlic, sprigs, active dry yeast, water, salt, allpurpose, freshly ground pepper, kosher salt, oregano
Taken from tastykitchen.com/recipes/main-courses/pizza-margherita/ (may not work)