Margherita Pizza

[DerHusker]

I harvested some basil and needed to use some up so we decided on making some Pesto and some pizzas. Start out with a Margherita Pizza. Here are the ingredients.

Tomato Paste
Slivered Garlic
Basil leaves
Mozzarella Cheese
Parmesan Cheese
Tomato slices

http://i659.photobucket.com/albums/uu319/DerHusker/DerHusker%20Grilling/Pizza/IMG_4054_zps4fc68957.jpg

Rolled out the dough
http://i659.photobucket.com/albums/uu319/DerHusker/DerHusker%20Grilling/Pizza/IMG_4055_zps6e89675c.jpg

Spread out the tomato paste & Mozzarella cheese

http://i659.photobucket.com/albums/uu319/DerHusker/DerHusker%20Grilling/Pizza/IMG_4057_zpsf8a55a19.jpg

Spread out the Garlic slivers

http://i659.photobucket.com/albums/uu319/DerHusker/DerHusker%20Grilling/Pizza/IMG_4058_zpsc6c200f1.jpg

And tomatoes

http://i659.photobucket.com/albums/uu319/DerHusker/DerHusker%20Grilling/Pizza/IMG_4059_zpscecee66b.jpg

And the Parmesan

http://i659.photobucket.com/albums/uu319/DerHusker/DerHusker%20Grilling/Pizza/IMG_4060_zps8b136422.jpg

And finally some Basil leaves (This was a mistake as these leaves burned a little Next time I'll wait to put the Basil on until there's only 2 or 3 minutes left)

http://i659.photobucket.com/albums/uu319/DerHusker/DerHusker%20Grilling/Pizza/IMG_4061_zps98398f50.jpg

Here are the results

http://i659.photobucket.com/albums/uu319/DerHusker/DerHusker%20Grilling/Pizza/IMG_4064_zps37b59d71.jpg

Fantastico! :mrgreen:

[BisonStew]

Nice looking pie, did you bake it on a stone? Your basil is looking good, I'm still weeks away from harvesting. Don't you find using just tomato paste as your sauce it quite rich?

[Smoothsmoke]

Indeed it looks fantastic DH!

[DerHusker]

Nice looking pie, did you bake it on a stone? Your basil is looking good, I'm still weeks away from harvesting. Don't you find using just tomato paste as your sauce it quite rich?

Thanks. Yes it was baked on a pizza stone in my kamado for 8 1/2 minutes @ 500 degrees. The sauce was fine but next time I'll cut it with some water it make it a little thinner.

[DerHusker]

Indeed it looks fantastic DH!
Thanks Smooth

[Astrobeerman]

Wow, it looks great. Love the mat where u made the pizza, where can I find it? And how did u make the dough, if you dnt mind me asking........drooling just looking at it.

[Shadowdog500]

That looks fantastic!!!


Chris

[DerHusker]

Wow, it looks great. Love the mat where u made the pizza, where can I find it? And how did u make the dough, if you dnt mind me asking........drooling just looking at it.
Thanks. The pastry mat was purchased off of Amazon. (See link)

Amazon.com: Conimar Kitchen 18 by 24-Inch Non-Slip Helper Pastry Mat: Kitchen & Dining


The dough recipe is someone else’s but here are the details:

1 cup of water
3 tbsp. olive oil
1/3 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. sugar
3 cups of all-purpose flour (I substitute 1 cup with whole wheat)
1 1/2 tsp. instant yeast
I also added ½ tsp. of Garlic powered and ½ tsp. of Thyme.

Add the ingredients and mix until all parts are incorporated into the dough ball. Spray some EVOO into your bowl and place the ball into the bowl. Cover with a towel and let it sit for 1 to 2 hours. (It should double (or more) in size.

From 1 batch I can get 2 large or 3 medium pizzas. Depending, break it into 2 or 3 equal parts, roll it out with a pin on a smooth floured surface. Roll it pretty thin, 3/16 maybe.

[JohnHB]

Great looking pizza. Thank you for the recipe.
John

[DerHusker]

Great looking pizza. Thank you for the recipe.
John
Thanks. Got this tip from someone on another board. Coat the Basil leaves with some EVOO and then press on them to make them lay flat. Wait until there's only 2 or 3 minutes left to put the Basil on the pizza.

[discmen95]

That looks great, but I wouldn't cut the tomato paste, I would eliminate it altogether. Get a can of San Marzano tomatoes, either whole or crushed, and just spread it on the crust. I would also eliminate the tomato slices. Just my two cents, but a true Margarite should have tomatoes, basil, fresh mozzarella, and evoo. They don't have to be San Marzano, but those will give you the best flavor. Also, shred the basil leaves by hand, and sprinkle (or spray) some evoo on before you cook to keep them from drying out.

[BisonStew]

That looks great, but I wouldn't cut the tomato paste, I would eliminate it altogether. Get a can of San Marzano tomatoes, either whole or crushed, and just spread it on the crust. I would also eliminate the tomato slices. Just my two cents, but a true Margarite should have tomatoes, basil, fresh mozzarella, and evoo. They don't have to be San Marzano, but those will give you the best flavor. Also, shred the basil leaves by hand, and sprinkle (or spray) some evoo on before you cook to keep them from drying out.

Agree with discmen95, I use San Marzanos in my pizza sacue too but I simmer it to reduce with garlic, onions. I read somewhere just recently that you don't need to cook the tomatoes for pizza sauce (as discmen is saying) just spread them on the dough from the can. I have to try that next time I make pizza.

Also, if you can get your hands on Italian Tipo 00 Flour , it's much higher in gluten which makes for a better dough.

[Bonewagon]

Looks good! How'd you like the crust? I'm trying to incorporate more whole wheat into my diet and am looking for a good dough recipe.

[DerHusker]

Looks good! How'd you like the crust? I'm trying to incorporate more whole wheat into my diet and am looking for a good dough recipe.
Thanks. I used to use store bought dough and finally tried making my own. I like this dough much better that the store bought. Also I can add different spices to this dough to complement my toppings. In the recipe above you can see I do use 1 cup of whole wheat flour with 2 cups of white and really like the result. You could try increasing that to half & half, 2 to 1 whole wheat or even all whole wheat and see how you like it. Good luck and let us know your results.