This recipe is a staple in my kitchen–especially on Fridays–since by decree of my children it's always pizza Friday. Pizza Margherita proves one again that simpler is better, and less is more. The idea with this thin crust pizza is not to overload it. This recipe is super easy to make AND it has half of the calories a store-bought pizza has.
Pizza Margherita
Ingredients for 2 12-inch pizzas
1 cup luke warm water
1 tablespoon of sugar
1 tablespoon of yeast
3 cup of unbleached flour, plus 2 tablespoons to flour your working surface
2 tablespoons of olive oil
½ cup of tomato sauce
½ – 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese
Cornmeal for the pizza peel
Fresh basil leaves
Directions
In a small bowl dissolve the sugar in the water. Add the yeast and let stand until foamy, about 15 minutes.
In the bowl of a standing mixer or food processor, using the dough blade, combine the flour, water, sugar and yeast mix and the olive oil. Process until the dough becomes a ball, around 1.5 minutes.
Place the dough bowl and cover it with a damp kitchen towel. Let the dough rise until it doubles its size, at least 25 minutes.
Divide the dough in half.
In the middle rack of the oven, preheat a pizza stone to 415°F. Sprinkle the cornmeal on a pizza peel.
On a floured surface, with a roller, extend the dough and place it on the pizza peel. Evenly distribute the tomato sauce. Evenly sprinkle the mozzarella cheese.
Place the pizza on the pizza stone and bake it for 12-15 minutes. Take out the pizza from the oven and evenly distribute the basil leaves.
Image via Enriqueta Lemoine
