A One Pie Pizza Recipe with Simple Ingredients of Mozzarella, Tomato and Fresh Basil that can Easily be made at home in as little as an hour! Tips on how to speed the preparation and rising of the dough can be found in the recipe card.
Cheers to my first ever made pizza posted on URBAN BAKES! It’s not fancy by any means but hey, it’s homemade and I’m proud of it!
A couple of months ago, I posted an Instagram story of me making pizza from scratch. It was completely on a whim, didn’t know what I was doing but I just went with it. No regrets! And though you may have heard repeatedly from other people (myself included) say homemade is better, this time, I am so serious!
In the past couple of months since my IG story, I’ve probably made at least 5 variations. Tried a few well-known tested recipes to see which crust I preferred and as of this day, and not yet an expert, I found very subtle differences. I know plenty of practice is needed but for now, this pizza recipe is a basic yet in my home, a classic one. And as my first, I wanted to keep it simple. My goal is to put out more recipes of this kind with different flavors, better ingredients, and a better palate in determining what’s good vs great.
For now, I would take the face value of this pizza for what it is, simple yet a feel-good kind of meal knowing that you made it from scratch with familiar ingredients and greater control. I don’t know about you, but every time I order in pizza, my fingers swell up like little sausages from the amount of sodium either in the cheese or the sauce. I’d rather make my own and for a fraction of the price! Some of these pies can be upwards of $20! Homemade pizza probably costs no more than $5 and that’s being super generous.
Overall, I am super excited to share my first pizza. With my increased interest over the years of wanting to bring on more savory, I don’t know why it took me so long to try this classic pizza. So glad that I did. This is only the beginning of many more to come!
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider rating and commenting below. Have questions? Drop it in the comment box as this may help others. I love reading your messages and being able to help when I can. Thank You!
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Homemade Mozzarella Pizza with Tomato and Basil
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 12 inch (30 cm) pizza 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
A One-Pie Pizza Recipe with Simple Ingredients of Mozzarella, Tomato and Fresh Basil that can Easily be made at home in as little as an hour!
Ingredients
PIZZA CRUST
- 2 1/4 teaspoons (7 grams) instant or fast acting dry yeast
- 1/2 cup (120 grams) warm water 105°F to 115°F (40°C to 45°C)
- 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups (150 to 180 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon (5 grams) olive oil
- 1 tablespoon (9 grams) cornmeal
TOPPINGS
- 2 cups (226 grams) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
- 2 roma tomatoes, thinly sliced (113 grams)
- 1 to 2 teaspoons (2 to 4 grams) dried oregano leaves
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup (7 grams) fresh basil leaves, chiffonade cut
- 1 tablespoon (13 grams) olive oil
- 1/4 cup (7 grams) fresh basil leaves
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, stir yeast in warm water to dissolve. Mix in half of the flour, salt, sugar and oil. Stir in the remaining flour about 1/4 cup at a time just enough until a dough begins to form.
- Grease bottom and sides of a large bowl with oil; set aside. On a lightly floured surface, knead dough for 10 minutes or until smooth and dough springs back when touched. Dough should come together into a soft round ball. Place dough into the prepared greased bowl and flip over once to allow the coated bottom of the dough to stay on top. Cover and allow it to rise in a warm place for 20 minutes.
- Dough should be doubled in size. Gently push fist into the dough to deflate. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or up to 48 hours. If dough doubles in size when chilled, push fist into the dough again to deflate just before shaping.
- Move oven rack to the lowest position and heat oven to 425°F (220°C). Grease a large cookie sheet or a 12 in (30.5 cm) pizza pan with oil. Sprinkle with cornmeal. Using floured fingers, pat dough into a 12 inch circle leaving a 1/2 in (1.3 cm) border from the edge to remain slightly thicker to create a crust. Best to start from the center of the dough and work your way to the edge.
- Sprinkle 1 1/2 cups (170 grams) of cheese over the dough within 1/2 inch from the edge. Arrange tomato slices over the cheese and sprinkle oregano, salt, pepper and chiffonade cut basil. Drizzle with oil.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted. Remove the pizza and sprinkle with remaining cheese and whole basil leaves. The residual heat from the baked pizza will melt the cheese. Slice and ENJOY!
Notes
- TIP: when trying to speed up the proofing process: Before Step 1, heat the oven to its lowest setting, usually 200°F (93°C). Begin Steps 1 and 2. Once the oven is ready, immediately turn it off but keep the door closed. For the proofing process, use an oven-safe glass bowl, cover dough loosely with a small rag and place inside the warm oven that is turned OFF. This process will double the size of the dough within 20 minutes. REMINDER: turn off the oven before placing any cloth material inside.
- Though not optimal, you may skip the refrigeration of the dough in Step 3 and proceed with shaping of the dough.
- For quick and evenly sliced tomatoes, a mandoline is preferred.
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: homemade pizza, tomato and basil, cheese pizza
Recipe adapted from Fresh Mozzarella and Tomato Pizza p. 544 Betty Crocker 1500 Recipes.
