Recipe for Homemade Margherita Pizza with Summer Tomatoes
Need an idea of how to use your summer tomatoes? Contributing writer Lisa of This Pilgrim Life shares a delicious {easy} homemade margherita pizza with fresh ingredients!
Most vegetables were summarily rejected, but I remember tomatoes having the power to especially make me gag.
Now that I am a grown up and infinitely more wise (haha), I realize that not only was the way I was eating not healthy, but I was missing out on some of the best tasting food!
The summer tomato is definitely one of my new favorite foods– in season, at it’s prime, and amazingly delicious.
The great thing about summer tomatoes is that they can be used in so many different ways. A few handfuls of sweet cherry tomatoes in a fresh garden salsa. Plump, juicy tomatoes in homemade marinara sauce. Tossed in a lunch salad.
Or on a delicious homemade pizza.
The recipe calls for fresh mozzarella and fresh basil, and these fresh ingredients make a big difference in the flavor of the pizza. Fresh basil especially is one of those amazing summer ingredients that can really make a dish stand out. If you haven’t tried growing a simple herb garden before, it’s not too late to pick up a few plants and have access to fresh herbs just outside your door.
Homemade Margherita Pizza (makes 2 pizzas)
Ingredient List
Crust:
- 2 2/3 C flour
- 2 tsp yeast
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 C hot water
Toppings:
- 3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 large tomato
- 1/2 lb fresh mozzarella cheese
- 1 C fresh basil leaves
- kosher salt
- Parmesan for topping (optional)
- fresh ground pepper for topping (optional)
Method
- Preheat your oven to 450 (if not using a baking stone) or 500 (if using a baking stone).
- Combine 2 cups flour and the salt in a medium mixing bowl. Stir together with a wooden spoon or spatula. In a liquid measuring cup, combine the hot water and yeast. Pour the yeast and water into the flour mixture and stir to combine. Add the remaining 2/3 C flour as needed to make a soft dough. Turn the dough onto a clean countertop and knead for 1-2 minutes, adding a small amount of flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with a clean towel, and set aside while you prepare the toppings.
- Thinly slice the tomato and fresh mozzarella. Mix together the olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder in a small ramekin.
- Divide the pizza dough in half. Return one half to bowl. With buttery fingers, gently press out the dough onto a greased pizza pan or piece of parchment paper*. When the dough is spread out into a thin 10-inch circle, spread half the oil mixture across the top, leaving a one-inch border. Next, evenly distribute half the cheese and half of the tomatoes on the pizza.
- Bake the pizza in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes (on a pizza stone) or 12-14 minutes (on a pizza pan).
- While the first pizza is baking, prepare the second pizza following the steps above. Bake the second pizza when the first is finished.
- Evenly distribute the fresh basil across the top of the hot pizzas. Sprinkle a pinch of kosher salt across each pizza. (Optional) Top with Parmesan cheese and freshly ground pepper.
- Slice and enjoy!
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