Sunday, November 29, 2009

Pizza Margherita

At my house, we have Pizza Night at least once a week. But we never go out for it- I always make it fresh. It's actually easier than you might think. And we simply LOVE it. It's one of Hubby's favorite meals!


When you make it at home, it always comes out tasting way lighter and healthier than the ones you'd get at a restaurant or pizza joint. Since we have it so often, I always experiment with different toppings. Last week, we had this amazing Pizza Margherita that was so insanely delicious that I just had to share it with all of you. I wasn't going to do another pizza post because I already featured a Veggie Pizza a while back. But this one was so amazing that I thought it deserved its own entry! =)



(1) The Thin & Crispy Pizza Crust



Please see this prior post, Veggie Pizza, for step by step instructions on how to make the dough. If it's your first time working with pizza dough, it'll be a good tutorial for you.

I love this crust and use it on all my pizzas. It's super easy to make and it produces the most amazing golden-crispy crust ever. Now, you should know that Hubby and I are thick crust type of people. Yup. We love carbs and in the past, before I started making my own pizzas, we always ordered everything with a Pan Crust. But now we're reformed! We're absolutely in love with this thin crust recipe- because it's simply better than any thick crust out there! So I implore all of you to give it a try, even if you're a usually a thick crust lover. =)


Now, if you've read the previous Veggie Pizza entry, you'll know that I have a secret method of getting the pizza crust to be super crispy. It's a non-traditional/strange way of making pizza but boy, does it deliver results! I bake the crust completely before putting any of the toppings on! Yup. It allows for maximum crispiness of the crust.

After you put the toppings on, it goes back into the oven for only about 10 minutes, to allow for the cheese to melt. This method will give you a crispy crust throughout the entire pizza. (I hate it when I order a thin crust pizza and the middle of the pizza is soggy! It's the worst!)

In my Veggie Pizza post, I also address this topic by saying:

I make my pizzas in a very unique way. I start by sauteing most of the toppings, so that they are mainly cooked through. And similar to what you do with a tart, I bake the crust first, before adding the toppings. After assembling the pizza, it then goes back into the oven for a few more minutes, simply to melt the cheese. Doing this serves two purposes: (1) It allows for a better tasting pizza. Sauteing the toppings locks in the flavor and will give you a more savory pizza. This makes it so that a veggie pizza, without fatty sausages and pepperoni, will still be full of flavor. And (2) it produces a better crust- super yummy and crispy!


(2) The Toppings



Fresh Mozzarella, sliced.
Fresh Basil, cut into strips.
Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced.


Freshly grated Parmesan Cheese! YUM.



Freshly cracked pepper and sea salt.


(3) Assemble the Pizza~!



Place Mozzarella on your pre-baked pizza crusts.


Sprinkle liberally with fresh basil.


Add the Roma tomatoes.


Sprinkle the Parmesan. Liberally!


Top with all the seasonings and drizzle with olive oil, evenly throughout the pizza.


Bake in the 425 degree F oven for about 7-10 minutes until the cheese has melted.


(4) Dig In!



This pizza is SO gorgeous! It would make a beautiful appetizer for a party, if you used cookie cutters to make small, bite-sized rounds of pizza crust before topping it.


This pizza was outta this world! It was better than any Pizza Margherita we've had! My favorite part was when the Parmesan browned and became crispy on the outer crust of the pizza. It was so delicious! So make sure to sprinkle a generous amount of Parmesan onto the crust when you make this pizza! =)

I know that making pizza from scratch may seem daunting. But don't let it scare you! It's simpler than it seems. And once you get the hang of it, it's really no big deal and you'll want to make it every week! Everyone should give it a try!


Please click HERE for all the recipes shown in this entry.



3 comments:

  1. Be still my heart... this is my favorite pizza in the whole world! Love it, love it, love it, love it, love it!!!!!!!

    Excellent post!

    :)
    ButterYum

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you for a great post. I love to make pizza and am always looking for hints. This looks delish!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Mm this looks so delicious and healthy too. I <3 homemade pizza (and pizza stones).

    ReplyDelete

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