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
Scale
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