Best Buona Lisa Pizza Recipes

MARGHERITA PIZZA

Steps:

• Make the Sauce: In a medium bowl, stir together the tomatoes, garlic, salt, sugar, pepper, and oil. (Alternatively, for a completely smooth sauce, you can blend the ingredients in a small food processor or blender.)
• Preheat the oven to 500°F and set an oven rack in the bottom position. Dust a 13x18-inch baking sheet with half of the cornmeal.
• On a lightly floured surface, using your hands, stretch and press one ball of dough into an 11-inch round. Transfer the dough to the cornmeal-dusted baking sheet, and gently stretch it out again so that it maintains its shape.
• Spread ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons of the sauce over the dough, leaving a ½-inch border around the edges. Slide the baking sheet into the oven and bake for 7 minutes, until the crust is partially cooked. Remove from the oven, and scatter half of the mozzarella cubes over the sauce, followed by half of the Parmigiano-Reggiano. Slide the pan back into the oven and cook until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is melted and bubbling, about 4 minutes more. Remove the pizza from the oven and transfer to a cutting board. Sprinkle with the basil and slice. Repeat with the remaining pizza dough and ingredients. (If you'd like to bake the two pizzas at the same time, you can fire up two ovens. Or, if you don't mind the crust a little thicker, you can form the two dough balls into 8x12-inch rectangles and place them side by side on the baking sheet.)
• Note: This recipe makes enough sauce for 4 (11-inch) pizzas. Refrigerate extra sauce for up to 1 week, or freeze for up to 3 months.

JIM LAHEY'S NO-KNEAD PIZZA MARGHERITA

Steps:

• To make dough: In a large bowl, mix the flour, yeast, and salt. Add water and stir until blended (the dough will be very sticky). Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 12 to 24 hours in a warm spot, about 70 degrees.
• Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and sprinkle the top with flour. Fold the dough over on itself once or twice, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and let rest for 15 minutes.
• Shape the dough into 3 or 4 balls, depending on how thick you want the crust. Generously sprinkle a clean cotton towel with flour and cover the dough with it. Let the dough rise for 2 hours.
• To make sauce: Blanch tomato for 5 seconds in boiling water and quickly remove. Allow to cool to the touch. Peel the skin with your hands and quarter the tomato. Remove the jelly and seeds, and reserve in a strainer or fine sieve. Strain the jelly to remove seeds, and combine resulting liquid in a bowl with the flesh of the tomatoes. Proceed to crush the tomatoes with your hands. Add salt and olive oil and stir.
• To make pizza: Place pizza stone on the middle rack of the oven and preheat on high broil. Stretch or toss the dough into a disk approximately 10 inches in diameter. Pull rack out of oven and place the dough on top of the preheated pizza stone. Drizzle 5 generous tablespoons of sauce over the dough, and spread evenly. Try to keep the sauce about ½ inch away from the perimeter of the dough. Break apart or slice the buffalo mozzarella and arrange over the dough. Return rack and pizza stone to the middle of the oven and broil for approximately 6 minutes. Remove and top with basil, olive oil, and salt.

PIZZERIA LUIGI - MONA LISA PIZZA

Steps:

• Sprinkle the yeast into a medium bowl containing 1 1/2 cups warm water (100 to 115 degrees F) and stir until yeast dissolves. Let the yeast activate for 2 to 5 minutes. Add salt and 2 cups of flour and stir until blended. Add another 1 1/2 cups of flour and blend until too stiff to stir with a spoon.
• Cut dough in half to get 2 (18-ounce) (1 ounce per inch) pieces. If you like a thick crust, increase the amount of dough per inch or reduce the size of the pizza to a 14 or 16-inch pie.
• With the dough in both hands knead (turn it inside itself so knuckles touch) to get some air pockets out and to get a round shape. Knead about 7 times. (Don't knead too hard or the dough will rip at the top). At the bottom of the dough ball seal it by twisting the dough so that it is round on top and flat and sealed on the bottom.
• Place the dough in a clean bowl (if dry, sprinkle with a little water), and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough sit for between 30 to 60 minutes until it almost doubled in size.
• Put the dough in the refrigerator for 1 hour after it rises to gain elasticity.
• Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.
• Put the dough on a floured surface and push down on it with your fingertips to get rid of any bubbles. Use a rolling pin to flatten the dough to the size you choose.
• Transfer the dough to an oiled pizza pan or baking sheet. Or if you have a baking stone, sprinkle wooden pizza peel with flour, place dough on top and transfer directly to the stone.
• Add sauce, cheese, and toppings as desired. Keep toppings an inch away from the edge of the pie. Cook pizza for approximately 15 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.