If I could eat one thing for the rest of my life, it certainly would be pizza. Fresh, carry-out, frozen, deep dish, I like it all. Up until recently, I hadn’t had much experience making my own with fresh dough, but my girl Gaby and her recipes have changed that. And made me realize just how easy making a pizza from “scratch” is. Enter this heirloom tomato margherita pizza.
One thing I should admit, I’ve never actually made pizza dough. I’ve tried making a couple of things using yeast and every time I do I fail miserably. Not sure why, but hoping we can only go up from here. I’ve learned there’s no need to when Trader Joe’s sells a few different versions at $1.29. pop. They’re sooo good. Seriously.
While I hope to share a ton more pizza recipes here (since the obsession is real), this margherita one is the most basic of all. No sauce – just garlic, oil and salt. You really can’t mess it up. I love using heirloom tomatoes and find they’re usually juicer and more flavorful throughout the year. Kind of like cherry ones.
And most importantly, the beauty of pizza is it doesn’t need to be perfect, or even in a circle for that matter. I don’t have a pizza pan or a pizza stone. So, I adjust my dough to fit my baking sheet and personally love the artistic look of the long slices.
I’d love to hear what your favorite variations are! Scroll down for the full recipe is below.
Happy Friday, friends! Hope you have a great, relaxing weekend! x
I like to add sea salt before the pizza bakes, and a bit on top after it’s done. Remember, there’s no pizza sauce here. So the flavor really needs to be added.
Photos by Kenzie Kokta
Ingredients
- Pizza dough
- 2 heirloom tomatoes, sliced
- 8 oz. ball of mozzarella, sliced
- 4 cloves of minced garlic
- Olive oil
- Sea salt and pepper
- Fresh basil
- Flour for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat over to 500 degrees Fahrenheit (my oven would set off every alarm, so I bake at 475)
- Bring your pizza dough to room temperature do it’s easy to work it. I think an hour outside of the fridge works.
- Dust a bit of flour on a baking sheet and start to stretch your dough out. Lay it on top of the flour and stretch it out to fit the pan.
- Drizzle about 2 tablespoons of olive oil on the dough and massage it in. If more is needed, add it. Add minced garlic. Add salt.
- Top with sliced mozzarella and then sliced Heirloom tomatoes.
- Bake 14-18 minutes or until crust is brown and cheese is bubbling.
- Top with fresh basil, slice and top with a bit more salt and pepper.