Italian Pizza Margherita

Step 1

Sprinkle the yeast into a medium bowl with the warm water. Not too hot or cold, warm is what the yeast likes best. Stir until the yeast dissolves.

Step 2

Place almost all of the flour on the table in the shape of a volcano. (Think Mt. Vesuvius)

Step 3

Make a giant crater big enough to hold the liquid. Pour the yeast-and-warm-water mix, along with the other ingredients, into the “crater” of the volcano.

Step 4

Knead everything together for 10 to 15 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic, keeping your surface floured.

Step 5

Grease up a bowl with some olive oil and put the dough inside. Turn the dough around so the top is slightly oiled.

Step 6

Cover the bowl and put the dough aside to let it rest for at least four or five hours.This is a good time to make your sauce see directions below

Step 7

Make a cross on top of the dough with a knife. An old Italian tradition, this is a way of “blessing the bread.”

Step 8

Preheat the oven to 400°F

Step 9

Dump the dough out of the bowl and back onto the floured surface. Punch it down, getting rid of any bubbles.

Step 10

Divide the dough in half and let it rest for a few minutes.

Step 11

Roll each section into a 12-inch disc. You can make it as thin as you like but it will rise in the oven a bit.

Step 12

Transfer the dough onto an oiled pizza pan or baking sheet.

Step 13

Add tomato sauce, Brush the edges of the crust with a little bit of olive oil.

Step 14

Bake each pizza for about 10 minutes, then add slices of mozzarella cheese on top.

Step 15

Let the pizzas bake until the crust is browned and the cheese is melted. By lifting up the pizza to peek underneath, you can make sure the bottom has browned, too.

Step 16

Remove your pizzas from the oven and garnish with a few basil leaves. And enjoy!

Step 17

For the sauce:

Step 18

Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat.

Step 19

Saute the onion and garlic until just lightly browned

Step 20

Add the tomatoes and herb sprigs and bring to a boil

Step 21

Lower the heat and simmer covered for 10 minutes

Step 22

Remove the herb sprigs and stir in the salt and add pepper to taste