Tasty Tuesdays: Pizza Margherita

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Welcome to Tasty Tuesdays!

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WowWow - last week we had 101 recipes linked up!  Thank you so much for linking up your wonderful recipes.  I wish I had time to get around and visit each and every one of you.  All of your recipes always sound delicious.

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A few weeks ago I made the most delicious pizza.  The dough needs to be refrigerated for 24 hours, so if you plan on making it you will need to know ahead of time.  The pizza sauce recipe was amazing - I loved the flavors and think it would be wonderful as a simple sauce for pasta.  

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{ Recipe from Cooking Light Magazine, May 2010.  Find it here. }

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Ingredients:

- 1 cup warm water (100° to 110°), divided

- 10 ounce bread flour (about 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons)

- 1 package dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)

- 4 teaspoons olive oil

- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided

- Cooking spray

- 1 tablespoon yellow cornmeal

- 3/4 cup Basic Pizza Sauce {recipe @ end}

- 1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) thinly sliced fresh mozzarella cheese

- 1/3 cup small fresh basil leaves

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.1. Pour 3/4 cup warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer with dough hook attached. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups and spoons; level with a knife. Add flour to 3/4 cup water; mix until combined. Cover and let stand 20 minutes. Combine remaining 1/4 cup water and yeast in a small bowl; let stand 5 minutes or until bubbly. Add yeast mixture, oil, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to flour mixture; mix 5 minutes or until a soft dough forms. Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray; cover surface of dough with plastic wrap lightly coated with cooking spray. Refrigerate 24 hours.

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2. Remove dough from refrigerator. Let stand, covered, 1 hour or until dough comes to room temperature. Punch dough down. Press dough out to a 12-inch circle on a lightly floured baking sheet, without raised sides, sprinkled with cornmeal. Crimp edges to form a 1/2-inch border. Cover dough loosely with plastic wrap.

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3. Position an oven rack in the lowest setting. Place a pizza stone on lowest rack. Preheat oven to 550°. Preheat the pizza stone for 30 minutes before baking dough.

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4. Remove plastic wrap from dough. Sprinkle dough with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Spread Basic Pizza Sauce evenly over dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Arrange cheese slices evenly over pizza. Slide pizza onto preheated pizza stone, using a spatula as a guide. Bake at 550° for 11 minutes or until the crust is golden. Cut pizza into 10 wedges, and sprinkle evenly with basil.

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Basic Pizza Sauce Ingredients:

- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 5 garlic cloves, minced

- 1 (28-ounce) can San Marzano tomatoes

- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

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1. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic to pan; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Remove tomatoes from can using a slotted spoon, reserving juices. Crush tomatoes. Stir tomatoes, juices, salt, and oregano into garlic mixture; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

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Just before transferring to pizza stone and going in the oven:

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Fresh out of the oven and sprinkled with basil:

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Yum, I'm getting hungry looking at these photos!

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Now it's your turn, what did you cook this week?

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{ Please add a link in your post back to Tasty Tuesdays or add the Tasty Tuesday button to your post which can be found on my sidebar.  Thanks! }

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