8/14/2019 Margherita Pizza
1/2
Prep Time: 30 min
Inactive Prep Time: 1 hr 10 min
Cook Time: 30 min
Level:Easy
Serves:1 (13 by 18-inch) pizza
Margherita PizzaRecipe courtesy Tyler Florence
Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra to grease
pan
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves
1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, drained and hand crushed
(recommended: San Marzano)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 recipe fresh pi zza dough , recipe follows
1 (8-ounce) ball fresh buffalo mozzarella, water drained
1/2 bunch fresh basil leaves
DirectionsPreheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Put a jelly roll
pan or a half sheet pan in the oven.
Begin by making the tomato sauce. In a large saute pan over
medium heat, add 2 tablespoons olive oil, the minced garlic, thyme
and o regano. Cook until just fragrant then ad
the crushed tomatoes and season with s alt and pepper, to taste.
Lower the heat and simm er for 7 to 8 minutes to reduce and
concentrate the flavor. Shut off the heat and set
aside.
Take the preheated jelly roll pan out of the oven and drizzle
some oli ve oil over the entire surface. Cut the dough into 2 p
ieces and reserve 1 piece for another use. Stretch the
pizza dough out s o it is jus t bigger than the pan, then lay it
inside the pan, s o the dough comes up the sides to form a crust on
the rim. Smear with tomato sauce then tear up t
mozzarella and scatter it evenly over the top of the pie. Tear
the basi l leaves, spread them over the top and drizzle with a
little more olive oil. Give it a final seas on with s alt and
pepper, to taste, then bake in the hot oven until golden and
bubbly, about 15 to 18 m inutes
Remove from the oven, cut into slices and s erve.
Fresh Pizza Dough:
2 packages active dry yeast
2 teaspoons sugar
2 cups warm w ater (100 to 110 degrees F.)
2 tablespoons kosher salt
6 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 tables poons extra-virgin oli ve oil, plus extra for bowl
In a smal l bowl, combine the yeast, sugar and water and s tir
gently to dissol ve. Let the mixture stand until the yeast comes
alive and starts to foam, 5 to 10 minutes.
If you're using a stand m ixer, combine the salt and flour to
the bowl and pu lse a few times to m ix. Add the yeast m ixture, at
the lowest speed, until the flour incorporates. When
dough s tarts to come together, increase the speed to medium and
m ix until the dough gathers into a ball. This should take about 2
minutes . Add the olive oil and pulse a few
more times. Stop the machine periodically to scrape the dough o
ff the hook. Get a feel for the dough as you're making it by
squeezing a s mall amount together between your
thumb and fingers. If it's crumbly, add more wa ter, if it's
sticky, add more flour, 1 tables poon at a time . Turn the dough
out onto a lightly floured surface and fold it over itself a fe
times, kneading until it's smooth and elastic.
If you're making the dough by hand, add the yeast mixture to a
large bowl and s tir in the salt and the 2 tablespoons o f olive
oil. Then begin stirring in the flour. When the mixture
becomes too stiff to stir with a spoon, knead in the rest of the
flour by hand, adding jus t enough s o that the dough is soft but
not too sticky. As you work, squeeze a smal l amou
of dough together between your thumb and fingers. If it's
crumbly, add more wa ter; if it's sticky, add more flour, 1 tables
poon at a time . Knead until sm ooth and elastic, about 10
minutes.
Form the dough into a round and put it into a lightly oiled bowl
, turning it over to coat the dough entirely with the oil. Cover
with plas tic wrap or a damp towel and le t it rise in a
warm spot (i.e., over a gas pil ot light) until it doubles in s
ize, about 1 hour.
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