Sarasota Pizza Recipes

Pizza Margherita Recipe

Yield: 1 Pizza

• 3/4 lb Pizza Dough Semolina or cornmeal for -dusting
• 1 tb Olive oil preferably -extra virgin
• 1/2 c Tomato Sauce
• 2 oz Mozzarella cheese sliced -1/8 inch thick
• Salt & freshly ground black -pepper to taste
• 1/2 c Loosely packed fresh basil leaves (1 small bunch) thoroughly rinsed
• 1/4 c Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Place a pizza stone baking tiles or an inverted baking sheet on the bottom or on the lowest rack of a cold oven; preheat for 30 minutes to 500 degrees F or the highest setting. Place dough on a lightly floured surface and pat into a disk. Use a rolling pin or your hands to roll or stretch the dough into a circle that is 1/4 inch thick and 10 to 12 inches in diameter. Transfer to a semolina or cornmeal dusted pizza peel or inverted baking sheet. Brush the dough with a little of the olive oil to the edge. Spread tomato sauce over the dough to within 1/2 inch of the edge. Distribute mozzarella slices over the tomato sauce and season with salt and pepper. Arrange basil leaves over the mozzarella reserving a few for garnish if you wish. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil. Carefully slide the pizza onto the heated pizza stone and bake for 6 to 8 minutes or until the bottom is crisp and browned and the top is bubbling. Garnish with the reserved basil leaves if desired.