Margherita Pizza

 Homemade pizza night is popular at my house.

Pre child, I would make some more outlandish pizzas. But these days I usually stick with the classics such as Margherita style. Just some mozzarella, fresh tomatoes, garlic and basil. This is as fresh and pure as it gets.

My tips for making Margherita pizza are as follows: Remember to space out your fresh mozzarella and tomatoes so that the pizza doesn't get soggy. The more garlic the better. Fresh basil at the end is key. Let your pizza rest for a few minutes before serving.

Margherita Pizza
Pizza dough, 1 ball
Fresh tomatoes, regular or plum, sliced
Fresh mozzarella, not in water, sliced
10 or more cloves of garlic, minced
12 to 20 basil leaves
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil

Drizzle olive oil over a heavy rectangle baking sheet pan. Using a paper towel, grease the entire pan. This is to prevent the dough from sticking.

Roll out pizza dough on a well-floured surface with a rolling pin. You will need to turn the dough frequently so that it doesn't stick as you roll it out. The dimensions of the rolled out dough will be about 17 inches by 11 inches. Fold the dough in half and fit gently onto the baking sheet. 

Poke the dough all over with the tines of a fork. This prevents the dough from getting air and puffing up. Cover your stretched dough with a clean kitchen towel until you’re ready to make the pizza. I usually stretch the dough in the morning and let it rest covered until I make it for dinner.

When you are ready to make the pizza: Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Remove kitchen towel. Place tray with pizza dough in oven and bake for 5 to 7 minutes to lightly brown the bottom of the crust. (You can check to see if the bottom browned by gently lifting with a spatula). Remove browned crust from oven.

Scatter chopped garlic all over the crust. On top of the garlic, alternate tomatoes and mozzarella. (IMPORTANT: Do not overlap tomatoes and mozzarella. This will lead to soggy pizza). Be sure the tomatoes and mozzarella are side-by-side, not on top of one another.

Drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Bake for about 15 to 18 minutes, until crust is golden brown. Remove pan from oven and top pizza with whole basil leaves. After about five minutes, cut and serve.