Best Christian Petronis Margherita Pizza Recipes

Classic Margherita Pizza image

Provided by Martha Stewart

Time 20m

Yield Makes one 13-inch round pizza

Number Of Ingredients 8

1 recipe Classic Pizza Dough
Semolina flour or fine cornmeal, for dusting
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2/3 cup No-Cook Pizza Sauce
6 ounces fresh salted mozzarella, cut into scant 1/4-inch slices, room temperature
1/2 ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated (a scant 1/4 cup)
Fresh basil leaves and red-pepper flakes, for serving (optional)

Steps:

Preheat oven to 500 degrees, with rack in lower third lined with a pizza stone or baking sheet. Turn dough out onto a pizza peel or thin wooden cutting board dusted with semolina (do not punch down). Starting in center and using both hands, press down and outward with your fingertips, rotating dough occasionally. Gradually work toward edges, leaving a 1-inch border of undisturbed dough, until it's stretched to an approximately 13-inch round.
Lightly drizzle dough with oil; season with salt and pepper. Gently spread sauce evenly to just inside border, top evenly with mozzarella, and sprinkle with Parmigiano. With one quick forward-and-back jerking motion, slide pizza from peel onto stone. (This is not the moment to hesitate! Be brave and bold, and the pizza will slide off the peel.)
Bake until crust is puffed, golden brown in places, and set on bottom, and cheese is bubbly, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer pizza to a wire rack; let cool 2 to 3 minutes. Top with basil and pepper flakes, slice, and serve immediately.

Christian Petroni's Margherita Pizza image

Provided by Martha Stewart

Yield Makes one 12-inch pizza

Number Of Ingredients 8

8 ounces Christian Petroni's Pizza Dough
Semolina, for peel
4 to 6 tablespoons Simple Tomato Sauce for Pizza
2 to 4 ounces fresh mozzarella, drained, cut into 1-inch pieces
5 to 7 fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
2 tablespoons best-quality olive oil
Semolina, for dusting

Steps:

Preheat oven to the highest temperature possible with a pizza stone on the upper rack, for 1 hour.
Stretch pizza dough with your fingers, working in a circular motion, with your fingers positioned between the center of the dough and the edge, forming a rough disk that will gradually become thiner as you proceed. Then toss dough between the palms of your hands, allowing gravity to stretch it, and the center becomes thinner. Use your fists to move the dough in a circular motion to further stretch it, until it is about 12 inches in diameter, with the edge being slightly thicker. Place dough on a pizza peel lightly sprinkled with semolina to ensure it won't stick.
Using a small ladle, evenly spread tomato sauce over the surface of the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Distribute mozzarella uniformly over sauce; garnish with basil leaves. Sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano, and drizzle with one tablespoon olive oil.
When transferring pizza to the heated pizza stone in the oven, use one continuous, but quick, jerking motion. Once in the oven, turn the oven off, and turn broiler to high, and cook for 5 to 6 minutes. Serve drizzled with remaining tablespoon of olive oil.