Ingredients
- 1/4 tsp yeast
- 1/2 cup warm water (100°)
- 1 tsp flour
- 1 -1 1/4 cups flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- additional flour
- Margherita Topping
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1/2 medium onion, minced
- 1 sprig parsley, chopped
- 1 lg clove garlic, minced
- 1/4 tsp oregano
- 1 1/2 cups canned whole peeled tomatoes
- 1/3 cup packed fresh basil leaves, torn
- 3 oz fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
- 2-3 tbs olive oil
- freshly ground pepper and salt
Preparation
Step 1
Crust
In mixing bowl, blend yeast, water and tsp of flour. Foam should form on the surface in about 8 minutes. Then blend in rest of flour and salt, forming a smooth, quite soft, slightly sticky dough. Been in mixer for 5 minutes. Place in a large oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap. Let stand in a cool place until doubled in bulk (about 1 1/2 hours).
Lightly oil a 14-16 inch pizza pan. Preheat oven to 500°, setting rack as low as possible in oven. Spread dough over pan, rolling in edges to form a rim. Let rest 10 minutes. Top with desired topping. Bake 10 minutes. Then using a spatula and thick oven mitt, slip the pizza off the pan directly onto the oven rack. Slide back in for 2 additional minutes.
Margherita Topping
In a 10 inch skillet, heat 1 tbs oil over medium high. Salute onion and parsley to golden, then stir in garlic and oregano for a few seconds. Add tomatoes, crushing them as they go into pan ( do not substitute with crushed tomatoes). Boil, stirring , 5 minutes or until thick. Spread sauce over rolled out crust