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Pizza Margherita

Description

An easy, slow route to great pizza

Recipe summary
Yield 4 pizzas
Source

Adapted from La Cuchina Italiana Magazine

File under pizza

Ingredients

Crust:

1/4 tsp instant yeast
1-1/4 cups warm water (100-110 degrees)
10 oz KAF Italian or "00" flour
7 oz bread flour
2 tsp fine sea salt
2 TBL extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for bowl

For the sauce:

1 28 oz can whole San Marzano tomatoes, passed through food mill or processed in food processor
2-4 cloves garlic (to taste); minced
Olive oil
Mozzarella cheese and other toppings as desired

Instructions

Make the dough:

In large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and yeast; form well in center. Add water and oil, stir until dough just comes together. Knead dough vigorously by hand (10 minutes) or mixer (7 mins on #2). Cover with damp dishtowel and let rest 10 minutes, then knead vigorously again for the same amount of time. Lightly oil large bowl. Form dough into a ball, transfer to bowl and turn lightly to coat with oil. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, punch down dough with your fist (dough will be stiff), then fold sides over one another, turn dough, tightly cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours.

When ready to make the pizza, divide dough into 4 pieces (or more or less depending on size preference), shape pieces into balls and place on a lightly floured work surface, leaving a few inches between balls.* Loosely cover with damp dishtowel and let rise at warm room temp until doubled, about 2 hours; time may vary depending on room temperature and freshness of yeast. If skin forms on dough while rising, lightly spray surface with water.

In the meantime, make the sauce:

Warm a teaspoon or two of olive oil in a saucepan, add garlic and stir until starting to brown. Add tomatoes. Simmer until reduced to desired thickness; remove from heat.

Back to the dough. After dough has been rising about an hour, preheat oven to highest possible temperature. If using a pizza stone, put on lowest rack setting, and preheat at least 45 minutes.

When ready to prepare pizza, gently stretch each ball into a 10 inch round r desired size. Transfer to peel that is floured or topped with parchment. If not using parchment, shake peel gently to make sure dough doesn't stick.

Top each pie with about 1/3 cup sauce, mozzarella cheese, and other toppings as desired (use a light hand). Drizzle very lightly with evoo. Slide pie onto stone, bake until cheese is melted and bubbling, and edge of dough is crisp and golden (5-7 minutes). Using peel and tongs, transfer pizza to plate and serve.

*After forming dough into balls, the balls can be wrapped in plastic and frozen for later use. Place frozen dough in refrigerator the day before you want to make the pizza, then take it out of the frig 2-3 hours before you want to make the pies.

Comments

Er, what temperature are you

Er, what temperature are you cooking your cooking your pizza at? I usually preheat the oven/and stome to 500 degrees and have found that you get the best cooked crusts (underneath as well) if you carefully take out the hot pizza stone and place the stretched crust out on it and then put the sauce/cheese/toppings on while on the stone. This allows the crust to actually begin cooking and then you place it back in the oven already on the stone.

You can remove the hot stone with a pizza peel or a large cookie sheet with a one-sided raised edge. Wear oven mits (obviously), and if youuse a cookie sheet to slide the stone on to, make sure you have something to put it on that is heat resistant (the stove top, etc...). I also use the cookie sheet as a pizza peel to slide the cooked pizza off of the stone in the oven - it works very well, and I'm glad to have items serve "double duty"!

This technique is the best way to get a restaurant style crust on a home cooked pizza, or so I am told by my friend who has owned a pizza palor for 20 years! I have to say, this technique has given me the best crusts I have ever made at home, and I've been making home made pizza with my little Sicilian grandmother since I was a small child!

Can't wait to try your crust recipie on the heated stone! Yum!

I have only just noticed your

I have only just noticed your comment. I have never tried removing the hot stone from the oven, though I have seen stones that rest in a handled-metal bracket that would make that easier.

I set my oven as high as it goes - 550 degrees, which works pretty well. My best results are on the gas grill (with a stone) that heats gets even hotter.

I hope this crust has worked well for you.