Pizza Caprese Or Pizza Margherita My Way Recipes

PIZZA CAPRESE (OR PIZZA MARGHERITA MY WAY)

Steps:

• Combine chopped tomatoes, basil leaves, olive oil, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.
• Heat oven to 400* F. Spread dough out into a 12 inch round on a greased pizza pan. Combine olive oil and garlic; brush over crust. Bake at 400* F for about 10 minutes, or until just turning golden.
• Sprinkle shredded mozzarella over crust.
• Using a slotted spoon, remove tomato mixture from bowl, reserving liquid. Spread evenly over shredded cheese.
• Place fresh mozzarella slices over tomato mixture.
• Drizzle reserved dressing over all.
• Return to oven and bake at 400* F for 10-12 minutes or until mozzarella is melty with golden brown spots.

PIZZA MARGHERITA

Steps:

• Make the dough: Fill a small bowl with hot tap water. Let the bowl sit 2 minutes, then dump the water. In the warmed bowl, combine the yeast, 1 tablespoon flour, the sugar and 1/4 cup warm water (105 degrees F to 115 degrees F). Let stand about 5 minutes. (The mixture will be creamy and slightly bubbly; if it isn't, start over with fresh new yeast.)
• In a large bowl, mix 2 1/2 cups flour and 2 teaspoons salt. Make a well in the center and stir in the yeast mixture, olive oil and 3/4 cup warm water (105 degrees F to 115 degrees F) with a wooden spoon. Mix until the dough starts to come away from the side of the bowl (it will be sticky). Turn out onto a lightly floured surface; knead with floured hands until soft and elastic, about 8 minutes. Form into a ball.
• Brush another large bowl with olive oil. Add the dough and roll to coat with the oil. Tightly cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Meanwhile, put a pizza stone on the lowest oven rack and preheat to 500 degrees F. Let the stone preheat, about 1 hour.
• Make the sauce: Combine the olive oil, oregano, minced basil, tomatoes and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small saucepan over medium heat; bring to a simmer, stirring frequently. Reduce the heat to low and cook until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a food processor and puree until smooth. Return the sauce to the pan and cook over medium heat until reduced to 1 cup, about 10 minutes. Season with pepper to taste.
• Transfer the dough to a floured surface and cut in half. Form each half into a disk and roll out into a 10-inch circle with a lightly floured rolling pin. (I like my pizza paper-thin!) Pinch around the edge to form a crust.
• Sprinkle a pizza peel with cornmeal and carefully slide one round of dough onto the peel. Jerk the peel in a back-and-forth motion once or twice to make sure the dough does not stick. (If the dough is sticking, add extra cornmeal.) Drizzle the dough with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and top with half of the sauce, leaving a small border.
• Transfer the dough to the hot stone in the oven, using a jerking motion to slide the dough off the peel. Bake 5 minutes. Using the peel, rotate the pizza for even browning and top with half of the mozzarella. Bake until the cheese melts and the crust is golden brown and crisp, 3 to 5 more minutes. Remove from the oven using the peel, transfer to a cutting board and scatter half of the basil on top. Repeat to make the second pizza.

AUTHENTIC PIZZA MARGHERITA

Steps:

• Stir flour and 1 teaspoon salt in a bowl. Set aside.
• Mix water, yeast, and sugar in a large bowl. Let stand until yeast begins to form a creamy foam, about 5 minutes.
• Stir half the flour mixture into yeast mixture until no dry spots remain. Stir in remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. When dough pulls together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
• Lightly oil a large bowl, then place dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a light cloth and let rise in a warm place (80 to 95 degrees F (27 to 35 degrees C)) until doubled in volume, about 1 hour. Punch dough down, divide into 4 equal pieces, and form each into a ball.
• Preheat oven with a pizza stone to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C).
• Stretch out and pat 1 dough ball to form a circle 10 to 12 inches in diameter. Place dough on a lightly floured pizza peel. Top with 1/2 cup of tomato sauce and spread to cover within an inch of the edge of the dough. Arrange 5 slices of mozzarella cheese on top of the tomato sauce, then place 5 basil leaves on top. Drizzle pizza with 1 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt to taste. Repeat for 3 remaining dough balls.
• Slide each pizza onto the pizza stone in the preheated oven. Bake until cheese is bubbly and the underside of the crust is golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes.

PIZZA CAPRESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°. Prepare pizza dough according to package directions. With floured hands, press dough onto a greased 12-in. pizza pan. , Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil over dough and sprinkle with sliced garlic. Bake until crust is lightly browned, 10-12 minutes. Top with tomato and fresh mozzarella; bake until cheese is melted, 5-7 minutes longer. Drizzle with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and top with basil. Serve immediately.