Pizza Margherita

Pizza Margherita
From the book "Lucinda's Rustic Kitchen," by Lucinda Scala Quinn (Wiley).

1 Basic Pizza Dough, divided into 6 pieces
1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 Basic Italian Tomato Sauce
1 pound fresh mozzarella, sliced thin
36 fresh basil leaves, washed and dried

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Put the oven rack in the upper part of the oven. Place a pizza stone or heavy-bottomed baking sheet in the oven to preheat.
On a clean work surface, roll out the dough pieces to about 6 inches round and 1/4 inch thick. Pick up the dough and stretch further with your fingers. Prepare as many pies as will fit on the stone or baking sheet at one time. Spread some cornmeal on a large wooden pizza peel. Place the rolled dough on the wooden peel one at a time.
Lightly brush the entire pie with olive oil. Thinly spread 2 to 3 tablespoons of tomato sauce around the pie, leaving a 1/2-inch border of dough around the pie. Place 4 slices of cheese evenly around the pie. Lay on 4 to 6 basil leaves. Add other toppings, if desired, at this point.
Open the oven and pull out the oven rack. Working quickly, slide the pie with a flick of the wrist on to the hot stone or pan. Cook the pizza for 10 to 15 minutes, until the crust is golden and the cheese melted and bubbling. Serve immediately and repeat with remaining pies.

Makes 6 individual 6-inch pizzas


Basic Pizza Dough
From the book "Lucinda's Rustic Kitchen," by Lucinda Scala Quinn (Wiley).

1/2 cup water
1/2 cup milk
1 package dry yeast (2 1/2 teaspoons)
1/4 teaspoon sugar
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading ( I used almost 3 cups to get a non-sticky, wet dough, plus a little more for shaping into pizzas)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing (I used 2 tablespoons
2 teaspoons coarse salt (I used Kosher salt)

Heat the water and milk in a small saucepan over low heat until lukewarm, about 40 seconds. Transfer to a large bowl. Sprinkle the yeast and sugar over the liquid and stir. Let sit until the yeast is dissolved, up to 5 minutes.
Stir in the olive oil, flour, and salt. Once the dough is combined, knead on a lightly floured surface until the dough is smooth and elastic, 10 to 15 minutes.
Brush a large bowl with olive oil. Add the dough and lightly brush the top with olive oil. Cover and let stand in a warm place until doubled in size, about 3 hours. Or, place in the refrigerator overnight to rise slowly. Punch the dough down and divide into the appropriate number of portions as directed in the recipe you're following. Place the dough balls on a baking sheet and cover until ready to roll out.
Makes 6 individual 6-inch pizzas