Chef notes
Traditional pizza margherita topped with tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella and basil is a classic that can't be beat.
Ingredients
- One 2.2-pound bag Caputo "00" flour
- 2¼ cups water
- 5 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons fresh yeast
- 3 teaspoons sugar
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 5 pound cheese curds
- 1⅔ tablespoons salt
- 10 cups boiling water
- One 22-ounce ball pizza dough (recipe above)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 pound fresh mozzarella (recipe above)
- 10 ounces tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
- 3 ounces grated Grana Padano cheese
- 3 ounces grated Pecorino cheese
Preparation
For the homemade dough:
1.Melt yeast into water in mixing bowl, add flour and begin mixing at the lowest speed. Add salt, sugar, and oil and mix for 5-7 minutes.
2.Put on a counter and wrap in plastic to rest for 1 hour.
3.Cut into dough balls (22 ounces each) and place in a tray. Put balls in a cooler to rest for use the next day, 24 hours recommended.
For the homemade mozzarella:
1.Break cheese curds into small pieces with your hands then pour boiling water onto each curd.
2.Stretch mozzarella using 2 metal spoons or a paddle.
3.Roll the stretched curd into balls and place in ice water for 1 minute.
For the pizza:
1.Preheat oven with a pizza stone in it to 500°F.
2.Stretch dough into a circle and place on a pizza peel.
3.Add olive oil and Pecorino to dough, place fresh mozzarella on the dough, ladle sauce in between fresh mozzarella and add basil.
4.Place dough onto a preheated pizza stone. Cook for ten minutes and then top with basil, olive oil and Grana Padano, and serve.
