Best Margherita Pizza

Time :2 35

Yield :4 servings

Recipe Background

Hold the delivery! Best Margherita Pizza will convince you to never call for takeout again! This homemade pizza dough is the perfect foundation for the zesty tomato sauce, creamy Parmigiano-Reggiano and mozzarella, and the tasty basil that all join in flavorful forces when baked until golden-brown. Smell and taste the difference when you make the Best Margherita Pizza. Mamma mia, it's so good!

Ingredients

For the pizza dough:

2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour plus more, to taste, for dusting the work surface, the dough, and the pizza peel
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
7 ounces water warmed to 105-115 degrees F
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil plus more, to taste, for greasing the bowl
2 tablespoons semolina flour for dusting the pizza peel

For the pizza sauce:

1 cup canned puréed or crushed tomatoes
3 fresh cloves garlic grated or pressed
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
kosher salt to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Toppings:

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil divided
2 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese finely grated, divided
7 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese not packed in water, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, and patted dry with paper towels, divided
3 large fresh basil leaves torn, divided

Optional garnishes:

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil divided
Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese to taste, finely grated
2 large fresh basil leaves shredded, divided
dried red pepper flakes to taste

Directions

In a medium bowl, add 2 1/2 cups of the all-purpose flour, the granulated sugar, the yeast, and 3/4 teaspoon of the salt and whisk to combine.
Add the warm water and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to the flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until the dough just begins to combine and is shaggy and dry.
Use the extra all-purpose flour to generously dust a work surface.
Place the dough on the work surface and knead, sprinkling it as needed with the extra all-purpose flour, until it becomes smooth, slightly elastic, and tacky but not sticking to the surface, about 3 minutes.
Lightly grease a large bowl with the extra olive oil and add the kneaded dough.
In a warm, dry area, cover the kneaded dough with a clean kitchen towel and let it rise until it has doubled in size, about 2 hours.
On the middle rack of the oven, about 8-inches from the broiler element, add a pizza steel or pizza stone.
Preheat the oven to 550 degrees F, about 1 hour. If the oven does not reach 550 degrees F or if using a delicate pizza stone, heat to a maximum of 500 degrees F.
While the oven and the pizza steel are preheating, in another medium bowl, add the tomatoes, the garlic, 1 teaspoon of the olive oil, the salt, and the black pepper and stir to combine. Set it aside.
On a large plate, separate the dough into 2 equal-sized portions and gently cover each of them with plastic wrap. Let them rest for about 5-10 minutes.
Lightly sprinkle a pizza peel or the back of a half sheet pan with the semolina flour and the extra all-purpose flour.
Use your hands to gently stretch 1 of the pizza dough balls into a 10-inch circle; it does not need to be perfectly uniform. If the dough springs back or is too elastic, let it rest, about 5 minutes. The center of the dough should be thin enough to see light through and the edges should be slightly thicker.
Gently transfer the dough to the prepared pizza peel.
Lightly brush 1 teaspoon of the olive oil over the dough.
Use a large spoon to evenly and thinly spread about 1/2 cup of the tomato sauce mixture over the pizza dough, leaving a 1/2-3/4-inch border on all sides of the dough without the sauce.
Evenly sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese over the tomato sauce layer.
Evenly add 1/2 of the mozzarella cubes on top of the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese layer, then top with 1/2 of the torn basil leaves.
Use your hands to stretch the sides of the pizza dough to make it thinner.
Gently slide the prepared pizza onto the heated baking stone and bake until the crust is golden, the cheese is bubbling and caramelized, and the edges of are golden-brown, about 7-8 minutes.
Use the pizza peel to carefully transfer the pizza from the oven to a cutting board.
Drizzle the top of the pizza with 1 teaspoon of the olive oil, the extra Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, 1 of the shredded basil leaves, and the red pepper flakes.
Prepare and bake the second pizza using the remaining ingredients.
Slice and serve.