Pizza Party!

Margherita Pizza

Yield: 2- 12” pizzas

Ingredients

153 grams 00 flour (1 cup plus 1 tbsp)

153 grams all-purpose flour (1 cup plus 1 tbsp and 2 tsp)

8 grams fine sea salt (1 tsp)

2 grams active dry yeast (¾ tsp)

4 grams extra-virgin olive oil (1 tsp)

Small can good-quality Italian tomatoes, drained

Extra-virgin olive oil

Sea salt

150-170 grams fresh mozzarella

10 basil leaves, roughly torn

Cornmeal for pizza peel

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine flours and salt.
2. In a small mixing bowl, stir together 200 grams (just under 1 cup) lukewarm tap water, the yeast and 1 tsp olive oil, then pour it into flour mixture. Knead with your hands until well combined, approximately 3 minutes, then let dough rest for 15 minutes.
3. Knead rested dough again for 3 minutes. Cut into 2 equal pieces and shape each into a ball. Place on a heavily floured surface, cover with a dampened tea towel, and let rest and rise 3-4 hours at room temperature. (Or 8-24 hours in fridge. If dough is refrigerated, remove 30-45 minutes before you begin to shape it for pizza.)
4. Make the sauce. In a food processor, blend together drained tomatoes, 1 tbsp olive oil and a good sprinkle of salt. (Leftover sauce can be refrigerated or frozen)
5. To make pizza, place a pizza stone on the middle rack of the oven and preheat to your oven's highest setting. Let stone heat for 30 min-1 hour.
6. When stone has been heated long enough, place a dough ball on a heavily floured surface and use your fingers to stretch it, then your hands to shape into a round. Top with 3 tbsp of pizza sauce and spread over dough using the back of a spoon, leaving a ½” edge free of sauce.
7. Drizzle with a little olive oil and tear the cheese into large pieces and place ½ of it on the sauce. Scatter with 1/2 the torn basil leaves.
8. Cover a pizza peel with a good dusting of cornmeal and pick up the pizza using the peel. Slide the pizza onto the heated stone and bake until the crust is golden brown and cheese is bubbling, approximately 4-8 minutes.
9. While first pizza is baking, prepare second pizza. Bake and eat.

Adapted from NYT Cooking

To make Alison's go-to sourdough pizza recipe, click here.