Making homemade pizza is much easier than you probably think. This zesty pizza will taste just like it came from Sicily.
Dough:
1 c. water
1 T. dry yeast
2 1/2 t. salt
1/4 c. olive oil, plus more for the bowl
3 1/2 c. high-gluten flour
Pizza Sauce:
20 oz. can San Marzano tomatoes or good quality California tomatoes
3 pinches salt
4 T. olive oil
Pizza:
1 c. flour
½ lb. whole milk mozzarella, torn into 1 inch-sized pieces or cubes (Polly-O is the best brand) (not shredded)
2 oz. fresh mozzarella balls, torn into 1 inch sized pieces (not shredded)
¼ c. grated Pecorino Romano
¼ c. shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano
¼ c. olive oil
18 oz. pizza sauce (1 1/4 c.) (see above)
10 fresh basil leaves, torn in half
Dough:
In a large bowl, combine water, yeast, salt and oil. (The salt provides great taste and color and the oil provides great texture.) Add the flour; mix by hand until it forms a ball and looks smooth.
Remove it from bowl; add a little oil to the bowl; place dough ball back into the bowl. Cover bowl with a dishtowel or something that will allow the dough to breath. Let sit for an hour, letting it double in size.
While the dough is proofing (rising), start sauce. It might take 1-1 1/2 hours for dough to rise.
Sauce:
Pour tomatoes in a bowl; crush/smash tomatoes with your hands until they're the consistency of a chunky sauce. Add 3 salt and olive oil. Makes 2 1/2 c.
Pizza:
Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
Turn out dough on a floured surface. To gently stretch it, press down from the outside, working towards the middle, trying not to take all the air out of the dough. Be gentle with it. Once it’s flattened, place it in a dark, 16x11 inch baking pan that has been drizzle with lots of oil; gently pull it into the shape of the pan.
Brush/drizzle some olive oil on top of the dough and 4 T. or 1 ladle of pizza sauce. Use a knife to poke holes through the dough.
Put the pan in the oven; bake for about 10-12 minutes at 500 degrees until the dough gets golden brown on bottom of crust.
Remove from oven; evenly distribute the cubed mozzarella cheese; add about 3 ladles more sauce; add the fresh whole milk Polly-O mozzerella on top; cover heavily with the Pecorino Romano cheese; drizzle with olive oil.
Place pizza back in the oven for 10-12 more minutes or until cheese is golden brown. Remove from the oven.
Serve hot, topped with the torn basil and lots of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
4-8 servings.
To reheat pizza: reheat in skillet on medium heat, cover with aluminum foil for 4 minutes. DO NOT MICROWAVE!