Pizza Margarita
This is our favorite pizza recipe, perfect for weeknights when your hankering for a slice but don’t have a ton of time. To get the best from this recipe, you’ll want a 15″ pizza stone and parchment paper. A pizza peel isn’t necessary, but is handy and adds to your pizza master cred.
Makes 8 slices
Dough
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 cup warm water (~105º)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 packet quick rise yeast
Sauce
- 1 can tomato sauce
- 2 tsp oregano
- 1 clove crushed garlic
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
Toppings
- Mozzarella cheese
- Pecorino cheese
- Fresh basil leaves
Combine flour, salt, and sugar in a bowl. Combine water and yeast, stir, then add olive oil and whisk to mix. Pour the flour mix into the water and mix until the dough comes together. Knead lightly to form the dough into a ball. Lightly spray empty flour bowl with cooking, place dough into the bowl and cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm spot to rest 15-30 minutes.
In a cup or bowl, combine all sauce ingredients. Stir together thoroughly and set aside.
Place a piece of parchment over the pizza stone and lightly mark the stone’s shape onto the paper. Cut just inside the marking to form a parchment circle.
Place the pizza stone onto the oven’s middle rack and preheat to 500º for at least 15 minutes.
Flip the parchment paper over — just in case you missed some pencil marking – and place the dough in the center. With floured or greased hands, spread the dough into a circle 1/2″ to 1″ smaller than the paper. Spread sauce to 1/4″ from the dough’s edge. Top with mozzarella and pecorino cheeses. Reserve a small amount of mozzarella for the small children hovering around you to snack on!
Note: These are the basic Margarita Pizza toppings, add whatever you like – pepperoni, marinated mushrooms, anchovies, kimchi… get creative!
Using a pizza peel or flat baking sheet slid under the parchment paper, open the oven and slide the paper and pizza off onto the heated stone. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the pizza is golden and cheeses melted.
Remove the pizza and stone to the stovetop or a rack. Top with fresh basil leaves and rest 5-10 minutes until the basil is wilted. Slice and enjoy!