Preparation of Margherita Pizza

 

Margherita Pizza

 

Margherita Pizza  is a famous Italian dish and is easy to make which uses basil, mozzarella and tomatoes which make it colorful and tasty too. Below is the list of ingredients and procedure.

INGREDIENTS

  1. Dough Preparation:
    • 1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, divided, plus more for dusting
    • 3/4 cup warm water, divided
    • 2 ¼ teaspoon active dry yeast
    • 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1 teaspoon salt
  2. For topping:
    • 1 (14-to 15-ounces) can whole tomatoes in juice
    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • 1/4 teaspoon sugar
    • 4 basil leaves plus more for sprinkling
    • 1 plus more for sprinkling
    • 2 large garlic cloves, smashed
    • 6 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
  1. The Equipment to be used:
  • A pizza stone

PREPARATION

Step 1: Make dough

  1. Stir yeast, 1 tablespoon flour, and 1/4 cup warm water together in a large bowl and keep it aside until surface comes out creamy, for about 5 minutes. (If mixture doesn’t appear creamy, discard and start over with new yeast.)
  2. Add 1 1/4 cups flour, remaining 1/2 cup water, salt, and oil and stir until smooth. Stir in enough flour (1/4 to 1/3 cup) for dough to begin to pull away from the side of a bowl. (Dough will be slightly wet.)
  3. Add 1 ¼ cups flour, 1/2 cup water, salt and oil and then stir it until it becomes smooth.
  4. Knead on a dusted surface, lightly flouring when dough becomes too sticky, until smooth, soft, and elastic, about 8 minutes. Form into a ball, put in a bowl, and dust with flour. Cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel (not terry cloth) and let it rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled, about 1 1/4 hours.

Step 2: Make tomato sauce while dough rises

  1. Pulse tomatoes with juice in a blender briefly to make a chunky purée.
  2. Cook garlic in oil in a small heavy saucepan over medium-low heat until fragrant and pale golden, for about 2 minutes. Add tomato purée, basil, sugar, and 1/8 teaspoon salt and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until thickened and reduced to about 3/4 cup, about 40 minutes. Season with salt and cool.

 

Step 3: Heat pizza stone while dough rises

1.At least 45 minutes before baking pizza, put  the stone on oven rack in lower third of electric oven (or on the  floor of  a gas oven) and preheat oven to 500°F.

Step 4: Shape dough

  1. Do not press down the dough. Dust it with flour, and then transfer to a large baking sheet or a parchment-lined pizza. Pat out dough lightly with your fingers and stretch into a 14-inch round, flouring fingers if necessary.

Step 5: Assemble pizza

  1. Spread sauce over dough, leaving a 1-inch border (there may be some sauce left over). Arrange cheese on top, leaving a 2- to 3-inch border.
  2. Spread the sauce on the dough, leave the border free up to 1-inch and apply cheese on the top leaving 2to 3-inch border.
  3. Slide pizza on parchment onto the pizza stone. Bake it for 13 to 16 minutes until the dough becomes crispy and brown and cheese turns golden. Using peel or baking sheet, Put the pizza on a cutting board. let it Cool down for 5 minutes. Before slicing garnish pizza with some basil leaves and then taste the delicious Margherita Pizza.

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