Aaand, we're BACK!

Hello, everyone!  After nearly 2 weeks' absence, I'm back.  Hubby and I took a much-needed weekend getaway to Las Vegas, had a grand time, and as a result, I've been a while without blogging.

Time to fix that situation, I say!  So I'm coming back with this: another summertime favorite for me- Margherita Pizza.  What can be better than bread, EVOO, Basil, Tomatoes, and Cheese?  Really?

I started with Jay's Signature Pizza Crust, courtesy of Allrecipes.com.  This crust recipe is simple and tasty- always a good thing, but there is one thing to beware of.  With Margherita pizza, thinner crust tends to be better (at least in my opinion), and this recipe yields quite a bit of dough.  If you use it all for one pizza, the crust will be fairly substantial.  Simple solution?  Use half for the pizza, and turn the other half into breadsticks.

Here's a run-through:

1.  Mix the dough, using 2.5 cups of the flour to begin with.  For me, the dough was REALLY sticky at this point.

2.  Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead more dough in until the dough is no longer sticky.  Because my dough was SO moist, it took adding the rest of the flour in the recipe, plus AT LEAST another cup of flour, to get it so it wasn't sticky anymore.  Form a ball, and place the ball in a well-oiled bowl to rise for about an hour, until doubled in size.

NOTE: Neat Gadget- I have a Misto, and LOVE it.  It's just a special spray bottle that you put oil in, and then you pump the top to build up air pressure so you can have your own "cooking spray" without additives- just oil.  I use it for everything.  I used it for oiling the bowl I put the dough in, the oil on the crust itself before baking, and for oiling my pans.  It's especially nice for baking- typical cooking spray leaves a residue which is hell to try to get off pans.  This way, all you've got is oil, and it comes right off.

3.  Punch the dough down, and allow it to rest for 10 minutes or so.

4.  Form dough into whatever you're making.  In my case, it was a 12" round for "bread sticks" and then a 16" round for the pizza.

"Breadsticks."  Dough, coated with EVOO and dusted with Italian seasoning, then
pre-cut and baked for 15 or so minutes.  Yum.

Pizza Crust

FOR THE PIZZA:
Slice up some Roma tomatoes, cut some fresh basil, and slice fresh mozzarella cheese.  When dealing with fresh mozzarella, a wire-type cheese cutter is VERY helpful.  Like this one.

First, Spread oil over the crust, then add Basil,

Tomatoes,

And Cheese.

Bake for around 20 minutes, until the crust is turning golden and the cheese is starting to brown.  Serve topped with a little fresh ground pepper, if you like.

YUM!  I hope you all enjoy this fresh, seasonal pizza as much as I do.  Let me know what you think!