Margherita Pizza

The other day Lyle had a craving for something that was that was simple and delicious. We are very big fans of fresh mozzarella, basil, and amazing bread, and it was easy for us to decide that we should make a Margherita Pizza. In case you are unsure, a Margherita Pizza doesn't have any alcohol in it (some people get confused by the name). It is a simple pizza that is created with a great crust and the simple toppings of tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil, and maybe sauce. We did make some tomato sauce to use for dipping. 

This recipe is one that I use as a basis for all of the homemade pizzas I make. Sometimes we get crazy with the toppings, but these are great instructions for a simply delicious pizza pie. 

I handmade this focaccia, which is my family's favorite for homemade pizza, but it is amazing for sandwiches and other thing fun dishes. The recipe originated from Le Cordon Bleu's, "Professional Baking" book that I used in my baking class. I have changed it slightly, but it's really amazing as is. 

When baking, it's better to use weight measurements (oz, grams, lbs, etc.). There are many little chemical reactions that create the final product and exact measurements are sometimes needed. For the bread recipe, I will put the weights, but I did measure them out by cup, tsp, etc. so that you can still make this if you don't have a scale. Although, Christmas is coming, and I would highly recommend that you add a scale to your list. They are wonderful. 

Focaccia Crust: 

14.5 oz (about 1 3/4 Cups) Water

.16 oz (about 2 tsp)  Active Dry Yeast

1 lb 8 oz (about 4 1/2 Cups) Flour  plus a little extra for kneading

.25 oz (about 1 tsp) Salt

2 oz (about 4 Tbsp) Olive Oil

Mixing 

Soften the yeast in about 1.5 cups of the water. (The water should be warm to the touch, but not hot. You don't want to kill your yeast. The ideal temperature is 105 F, incase you want to be picky) Mix all of the water, flour, salt and 1 oz of olive oil and form a dough. I prefer to do this by hand, but you can use a mixer if you want. Knead the dough until it forms a smooth ball. 

Fermentation

When you have a nice soft, smooth dough allow it to ferment covered for 1.5 hours in a warm place. (Confession: Sometimes I'm really impatient and I don't let my dough ferment that long. Sometimes I cut the time down to as little as 30 minutes, just make sure it has fermented some. It really is better with the longer time, though)

Makeup and Baking

Pizza Stone: 

If you choose the pizza stone method, be sure to heat up your stone before you bake your crust. Put it in a 500 degree oven for about 30 minutes. Be careful when you pull it out of the oven to put the pizza on it. It should be really hot. Form the dough into a circle and carefully place it on the stone. 

Cookie sheet or other pan:

Use olive oil to oil your pan really well. Roll the dough out, and push it into the pan. 

After the dough is on/in your stone or pan, brush additional olive oil over it (about 2 Tbsp). Then take your fingers (or a fork if you don't want to burn yourself on the stone) and make indentations across the entire surface of the bread. Sprinkle some extra salt across the surface and add some Rosemary if you would like. Bake it in the oven at 400 degrees for about 10-15 minutes. When the crust is nice and golden on top (like the picture above), pull it out of the oven and put the toppings on it. It is key to let the crust bake before you add the toppingst. If you don't, you will probably end up with soggy crust and no one likes that. 

Pizza Dough Tip: If you cover your pan or stone with some corn meal, it will keep the dough from sticking to your pan and give you that restaurant pizza feel. 

Toppings:

8 oz (about 1 package) Fresh Mozzarella

1/2 Cup chopped basil (fresh is best!)

3 or 4 medium tomatoes

Slice up the ingredients to your desired width, top the pizza with the cheese and tomatoes and continue baking it for 10ish minutes. You can turn on the broiler at this point to make the process quicker, but be careful, it can burn very quickly! When the cheese is melted and starting to form that golden color, take the pizza out. Top it with the fresh basil and let it sit for a few minutes. If you put the basil in with the other toppings, it may become burnt and have an undesirable bitter flavor. For that reason, I choose to put it on last. Let the pizza cool and eat up! 

If you want to use pizza sauce, feel free! Just add the sauce when you add the cheese and tomatoes, or use it as a dip. 

I hope this recipe gives you the basics for creating some very fun and tasty pizzas at home!