Brick Oven Margarita Pizza Recipe

Brick Oven Margarita Pizza Recipe

Dough: 1 large Pizza or two small 12 inch pies 

• To make pizza dough, you’ll need:
• 1 teaspoon active-dry yeast,
• 3/4 cup lukewarm water (not hot),
• 2 cups high gluten  flour, or 00 Flour Italian Milled
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 tablespoon extra-virgin  olive oil

For topping:

• 1 (14-to 15-ounces) can whole plum imported Italian tomatoes in juice
• 2 large garlic cloves, smashed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 basil leaves plus more for sprinkling
• 6 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices or torn into chunks
• Pinch Black Pepper
• Grated Parmigiana

Make dough:

1. Stir together yeast, 1 tablespoon flour, and 1/4 cup warm water in a large bowl and let stand until surface appears creamy, about 5 minutes.
2. Add  flour,  water, salt, and oil and stir until smooth. Stir in enough flour  for dough to begin to pull away from the side of the bowl. (Dough will be slightly wet.)
3. Knead dough  on a floured surface, lightly flouring when dough becomes too sticky,  work the dough until smooth, soft, and elastic, about 8 minutes. Form into 2  balls , then  put in a bowl coated lightly with oil,  lightly coat the ball on top with oil . Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until the ball expands about double.  (About 1 to 2  hours.) For best results put back in the refrigerator and use the next day.*

Make tomato sauce while dough rises*:

1. Pulse tomatoes with juice in a blender briefly to make a chunky purée. Or crush by hand to have a great chunky sauce.
2. Chop garlic and add  to crushed tomatoes, add chopped  basil,  1/8 teaspoon salt and tables spoon of EVO,  I  like a pinch of black pepper too! Stir well pure… natural Italian Style sauce!!

Shape dough:

When the dough is ready! 

Do not punch down. Dust dough with flour, so the dough does not stick to your hand. Put dough in a bowl of flour to keep it round! Turn it over so you flour both sides well.  Then transfer to work table dusted with flour. Pat out dough evenly with your fingers keeping it round and level until you stretch into a 10 to 12 -inch round, flour fingers if necessary.   Work your fingers and hands  around the dough. The edges should not be flat.

Assemble pizza: Put on wood pizza peel first

Spread sauce over dough, leaving a 1-inch border (there may be some sauce left over). Put the sauce on light go round and round with a ladle Arrange cheese on top, leaving a 2- to 3-inch border. Don’t overload the pie!

Slide pizza into your brick oven on the side away from the fire. Using a pizza peel after 30 seconds,  continuously rotate the pizza to get an even bake.

Bake until dough is crisp and browned and cheese is golden and bubbling in spots. Baking should last anywhere from a minute and a half to two minutes. Using pizza  peel, transfer pizza to a cutting board. Sprinkle with some basil leaves before slicing drizzle some olive oil on top and hit it with some finely grated cheese.

Cooks’ notes:
*Dough can be allowed to rise slowly in the refrigerator (instead of in a warm place) for 1 day. Bring to room temperature before shaping.
*Tomato sauce can be made 4 days ahead and chilled. Taste better  after day one!!