LISA'S PIZZA MARGHERITA

Lisa's Pizza Margherita image

This is a simple, delicious, highly addictive pizza. It's important to use the best quality ingredients available to you. No jarred pizza sauce or zip bags of pre-shredded mozzarella here. But you will see when you eat your masterpiece that it is worth it, and much better (and cheaper) than take-out! This makes 4 pizzas! You can bake 2 at a time in the oven, just switch them halfway through. This was written for the use of a stand mixer, but you can knead with your hands. I use round pizza pans with holes in the bottom for browning. Cheaper than a peel and stone and works great.

Provided by Lisa N @theloveoven

Categories Pizza

Number Of Ingredients 21

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Ingredients

PIZZA DOUGH
3 cup(s) warm water
2 tablespoon(s) active dry yeast
2 tablespoon(s) sugar
3 tablespoon(s) olive oil
6 cup(s) all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon(s) salt
SAUCE
1 can(s) (28 oz.) san marzano tomatoes
4 clove(s) garlic, chopped
2 tablespoon(s) olive oil
6 - basil leaves, torn
3/4 teaspoon(s) sea salt
1 teaspoon(s) sugar
TOPPINGS
- olive oil
- pizza sauce (recipe included here)
1 1/2 pound(s) whole milk mozzarella, sliced thin and torn into pieces
20 - fresh basil leaves
4 clove(s) garlic, chopped (optional)
- sea salt

Steps:

IMPORTANT: If you are using a stand mixer and your stand mixer is smaller than 6 quarts., split the dough ingredients in half and make two separate batches in your mixer. STEPS 1 THRU 4 ARE FOR THE DOUGH: Proof yeast in warm water with the sugar for 5 min.
Add flour and salt to stand mixer bowl. Add liquid to dry ingredients; add oil. Knead on stand-mixer for 2-5 min. after dough comes together. If you do not have a stand mixer, you can do this by hand: Mix the dough in a large mixing bowl in two separate batches (read note in Step 1 regarding stand mixer size); turn dough out onto a floured counter top or large cutting board; knead dough for five minutes.
Dough will be on the sticky side. Oil a large bowl (or two bowls if spitting it in half) and the dough to coat; cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and allow it to set for 30 min. in a warm place.
After 30 min., deflate the dough very gently and put it on a board. Divide it into four portions.
STEPS 5 THRU 7 ARE FOR THE SAUCE: Pour the tomatoes into a blender or food processor and pulse until smooth. If you do not have either of those machines, pour the tomatoes out into a large bowl and crush them with your hands, removing any tough cores.
Into a large, straight-sided non-stick skillet pour 2 T olive oil; add chopped garlic. Turn on heat to medium-low and bring oil up to temperature to sauté the garlic for about 2 min., just until it is fragrant and tender.
Add tomatoes, basil leaves, salt, and sugar to the pan. Turn heat up and bring to a boil. Turn heat back to medium and simmer the sauce for 15 minutes (do not cover with a lid).
STEPS 8 THRU ARE FOR THE ASSEMBLY OF THE PIZZAS: Preheat oven to 475 degrees F for at least 30 minutes, up to one hour.
Toss some flour onto pizza pans. Stretch each dough and place onto pizza pans, keeping any dough balls not being used covered to avoid a skin from forming.
Drizzle stretched dough with a little bit of olive oil. Place a couple of large spoonfuls of sauce on top and spread to the edge, leaving a 1-inch crust. Tear and break the basil leaves and put them on top of the sauce. Next, top with sliced mozzarella. Drizzle with a little bit more olive oil. Scatter around the chopped garlic pieces, if using. Sprinkle pizza with a pinch of salt.
Bake pizza for 10 minutes. If baking two pizzas at a time on top and bottom oven shelves, switch them at the 5-minute mark. Can drizzle with a little more olive oil before slicing.