Pizza Margherita! (CONTEST IS CLOSED)
Today Artisan Pizza and Flatbread in Five Minutes a Day
was published! Time to start baking from it, so I’m posting one of our favorite doughs from the book. I have to admit it took a while to decide which one to share, since our favorite seems to change with our moods. This Olive Oil Dough is fantastic for a thin crust, a thick crust and so many worldly flatbreads. No matter the technique you decide to try, you’ll love the results.
I like to make the classic Pizza Margherita, it’s the ultimate in Italian toppings. In fact, the colors resemble the Italian flag and the pizza was named for the Italian queen, Margherita, because she fell in love with it. Nothing but tomato, mozzarella, fresh basil and a drizzle of olive oil. So pure and so tasty.
Pizza Margherita
Olive Oil Dough from Artisan Pizza and Flatbread in Five Minutes a Day:
3 1/4 cups lukewarm water
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon Yeast
1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons Kosher salt
2 tablespoons sugar
7 1/2 cups (scoop and sweep) unbleached all-purpose flour
Toppings:
1/3 cup tomato (Sauce recipe p. 109 or drain diced tomato straight from the can)
3 ounces Fresh Mozzarella, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
Fresh Basil
Olive oil for drizzling over the top before baking
Pinch of salt
Flour, cornmeal or parchment for the pizza peel
To make the dough: Use our dump and stir method of mixing the dough in a 5-quart Container with Lid, using a Danish Dough Whisk or wooden spoon. Then cover the container, not airtight and let it rest for about 2 hours on the counter. The dough can then be used right away, but it is much easier to handle once it has been thoroughly chilled. The dough can be stored in the refrigerator for 2 weeks!
To make the pizza:
Preheat your oven to the highest setting, which will be 500 to 550°F, with a pizza stone in the bottom 1/3 of the oven. Depending on the thickness of your stone this can take between 20 and 40 minutes.
Pull out an 8-ounce piece of dough from your bucket and quickly form it into a ball, no more than 30 seconds of work. Let it sit on the counter while you gather your toppings.
Roll the ball out into a 1/8-inch-thick round. If the ball is resisting just let it sit for about 5 minutes and it will relax and allow you to work with it.
Sprinkle a Pizza Peel with flour. Spread the tomato over the dough.
Place the chunks of cheese over the sauce and drizzle with the olive oil.
Check for doneness in about 8 to 10 minutes, turn the pizza around if it seems to be browning on one side more than the other. It may take up to 5 more minutes.
Let the pizza cool slightly, so the cheese can set a little before cutting with a Pizza Cutter. This is best done on a cooling rack if you want to keep a crisp bottom crust.
Using the freezer to save even more time
You can freeze my doughs anytime during their batch life, for up to two weeks. Make half-pound (orange-size) balls and wrap them well before freezing. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and then use as usual. With the assistance of your freezer, there are three more ways to save even more time:
- To freeze prepared 1/8-inch thick dough disks, set up cookie sheets with parchment paper and freeze prepared dough disks on the parchment. As soon as they’re set (about 30 to 40 minutes), stack them, leaving parchment paper between disks. Pack into gallon-size ziplock bags, then freeze and use within three weeks. Bake them still frozen by placing, un-thawed, on a greased baking sheet, assembling the pizza, and then baking in a preheated oven. If you bake right on the parchment you can place it directly onto a preheated baking stone.
- To freeze a pre-baked pizza crust: Bake the crusts “blind”, docking (puncturing) them well with a fork, removing them from the oven when they just begin to brown (about four minutes). Check for puffing at one minute and dock again if you see any or you’ll end up with pita bread. Allow to cool on a rack before separating crusts with parchment or wax paper and freezing in a ziplock bag. These will be far superior to store-bought pre-baked pizza crusts, just as convenient, and a little quicker-baking than using unbaked frozen dough (see above). You can bake them frozen or defrosted (when using frozen crusts it will take a few more minutes to complete the baking).
- To freeze a pre-baked pizza: Bake a pizza as usual, and allow it to cool completely. Freeze in a heavy-duty freezer bag, preferably zip-lock. When ready to use, remove from bag, and place on a preheated baking stone for about 10 minutes (watch carefully to prevent scorching and consider lower baking temperature if you’re finding the pizza dry). While this method won’t be quite as impressive as the other methods on this list, it’s clearly the fastest.
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I have been using the olive oil dough from ABI5 for years with great success. I never know what topping I will use till I open the fridge and see what we have 🙂 New book makes me hungry just looking at the pictures!
I love a white pizza with chicken. Ordered your book months ago and Amazon said it’s on it’s way! Can’t wait to see all your recipes. Thanks for making me a bread baker!
My favorite pizza has hamburger, cheddar, and red onion on top!
AP&Fin5 arrived as promised yesterday and joins its siblings on the cookbook shelf. have been a devoted follower of your method since ABin5. Have already mixed up some Olive Oil dough and will bake a favorite pizza tomorrow using still producing last-of-the-season veggies and herbs from the garden: sungold cherry tomatoes, basil, parsley, green onions and mozz cheese and perhaps topped with some fresh fall crop arugula. Can’t wait try some other pizza variations.
My favorite to make is probably nectarine, mascarpone or chèvre, reduced balsamic, and basil. But the best pizza I’ve ever had comes from La Tavola Calda in Grenoble, France. Basically any kind they make beats anything I’ve had anywhere else!
Our favorite is the semolina dough from the first book with all kinds of toppings like veggie sausage crumbles, green peppers, roasted red peppers, peppercini, onions, mushrooms, olives and feta cheese.
my Favorite pizza:
whole wheat master recipe, tomato sauce, chopped garlic, fresh spinach leaves, shredded mozzarella cheese
I love the garlic under the mozzerella cheese. I sometimes add choopped tomato and small broccoli spears on top.
I have to use up the limpa bread dough I made for my mother in law before I can move on to pizza.
I love the spinach pizza my friend Bootsie make it is so good with fresh cooked spinach,garlic and cheese
My favorite pizza is canadian bacon & pineapple.
I’ve made the most amazing pizza ever using recipes from your first two books. Potatoes on pizza? YUM!!! Thanks for sharing your passion for dough with the rest of us. I look forward to getting my copy of the new book. By the way, I love the photo of the two of you tossing dough. It’s joyful!
I love love love making pizza with your dough! Love all the recipes in your other books…looking forward to seeing this new pizza book!
We have a pizza night every two weeks or so where everyone makes their own. I make a Spinach, Garlic, Feta and either Chicken or Shrimp. No pizza stone but I use a large preheated cast iron skillet or the grill outside…
The Thai Chicken Pizza that John’s Pizza at the intersection of Dale, Front and Como (I think) was my pizza of choice when I was pregnant with my first child. Sadly they stopped making it for cost reasons. I would recreate it if I could!
We recently had a Margherita Pizza at a cute little restaurant in Florida that has an authentic brick oven from Tuscany. I would have to say this has become my favorite – and it looks just like the one you have pictured! Can’t wait to try my own at home.
I love all pizzas, but have an especial soft spot for white pizza with ricotta, potatoes, spinach, and garlic.
We make homemade pizza a couple of times a month. In the summer we grill it, in the winter we use the oven and a stone. My favorite topping right now is pickled red onions!
My favorite pizza includes black beans, cilantro, onion, green chilies, and cheese, on a thin crust!
Just last night we all put together pizzas using the ABin5 dough and they were delicious! We used pesto from Trader Joe’s as a sauce base and topped it with fresh mozzarella and tomatoes and some pepperoni. But I think what made it great was that my dil put the dough alone on the parchment into the oven on the stone at 350 for 7 minutes, then took it out, we topped it, then baked it at 500 for 10 minutes. It was wonderful!
I’m partial to chopped meatballs on my pizza.
Just a simple Margherita pizza! Thanks for sharing your technique with all of us, it has changed bread making and pizza making in our house for sure!
When I was in Paraguay, I was amazed at how good the pizza was, especially when cooked in an earthen oven. I really liked thin crust pizza with tomato sauce, chorizo and drizzled with red pepper flake-infused olive oil. Here in the US, I enjoy a rustic olive-oil dough, homemade tomato sauce, and pepperoni with green olives and mozzarella.
I like the simplier the better a margarita pizza, a plain cheese pizza and now here is a crust as simple as the pizza i like.
Excited to get your latest book!
Always love a Canadian bacon and pineapple pizza, but looking forward to some new creative ideas from the book….
Favorite pizza is light layer of pesto sauce just under very light layer of tomato sauce. Add some mozzarella over that layer, mixed with colby jack and parmesan lightly sprinkled on top. Get some portobella slices laid out equally around the pizza, with roasted red peppers also laid out between the portobellas.
Add another sprinkling of mozzarella and parmesan, cook in convection oven set at 500 for 8 minutes or so, until top is beginning to brown.
Let cool and enjoy. Pizza is not only artistic, but tasty!! Key is the pesto.
We love all kinds of pizza and are looking forward to receiving the new book (ordered on Amazon in May). Your bread recipes are wonderful!
I worked at a small artisan deli with great ingredients. We had a small pizza oven, fresh dough, sauce from scratch. Any combo of what we threw in that oven was great.
Wonderful technique! I love pizza and can’t wait to see your book. Thanks for sharing with us your easy method to make homemade pizza dough. My favorite pizza includes onion, green pepper, sausage and mushrooms, but I am always ready to try new flavors.
My favorite pizza is what I like to call CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) Pizza – Artisan Bread in Five master dough rolled out to perfection topped with fresh veggies of all kinds and fresh mozzarella. YUM!!
I love thin crust pizza with veggie toppings: eggplant, mushrooms, onions, peppers, and spinach & Feta or “Popeye” pizza. Look forward to trying your new pizza and flatbread recipes!
I love the simple pizza that use good dough, topping with Mozzarella cheese and olive oil.
Linguica, mushrooms, and olives. Even better from a wood-fired oven… Yum
I love pizza of all kinds. Have to say my favorite has mushrooms and Italian sausage, besides the marinara and mozzarella. The mushrooms must be fresh though. Canned ones are just wrong.
My current favorite is B-B-Q Chicken or spinach & mozzarella. Looking forward to trying some new ideas from your book.
My favorite pizza is eggplant Parmesan pizza — it’s so good!
fave would have to be creamy Alfredo sauce, sun dried tomatoes, whole roasted garlic, crumbled Italian sausage, thin sliced pepperoni, fresh mozzarella and basil on olive oil crust 🙂
My current favorite is a Mediterranean pizza topped with grilled chicken, artichoke hearts, kalamata olives and feta cheese.
I recently purchased a Grilldome kamado grill and have been looking for breads to try in it. I just discovered the Artisan Bread in 5 book and it is on its way. Now I see I have another book to order!
I love the pizza crust really thin. Looking forward to your techniques in the new book.
that looks so good! I love just spinach, pepperoni & cheese on my pizza.
My favorite pizza is made with adding dried oregano and cracked pepper to the dough. Toppings of any veggies and especially black olives and artichokes. Bake and then add the cheese a few minutes before it is finished. Top with fresh basil right before eating, mmmmm!!!p.s. using a stone is a must!
I love your books! The recipes delicious! Can’t wait for the new book! Thanks!
I love a crispy, thin margherita pizza or a thick crust loaded with tons of veggies…Ok, I just love pizza! If I could pick one thing to eat it would always be pizza. Can’t wait to get my hands on the new book!
I love pepperoni, salami, italian sausage with mushrooms, on a pizza crust that is thin in the middle but has a big crusty chewy ends with a great sauce and lots of cheese.
If the crust is good, the pizza is good. You can never go wrong with the classic Margherita. When we’re feeling nostalgic we go with a college favorite of hamburger, mushroom and onion. When we’re feeling more adventurous we make Thai BBQ or garlic chicken with a cream sauce. Tex-Mex also adapts well to pizza using homemade salsa in place of pizza sauce.
Hubby makes the best everything pizza!
Alice
My favorite pizza that I make uses the master recipe boule dough, rolled out spread sauteed broccoli rabe, uncased italian sausage, red pepper flakes, top that with 4 cheese blend and then I take my fave tomato sauce and put it in a squeeze bottle and make a loose spiral of sauce from the center to the edge. 7 mins @ 550 and it is AMAZING!
My favorite is just a classic Margherita. Simple and lovely.
My favorite is a crispy thin crust with peperoni, mushrooms and onions.
I love a pepperoni and sausage pizza with lots of cheese on thin crust, yum!
I don’t have ONE favorite pizza but these days, fresh sliced tomatoes (not diced!) are my favorite topping.
One of the nicest things about your pizza is having the dough and just finding what’s in the frig to make dinner
Thanks