Pizza Margherita

Pizza Margherita- a classic Italian pizza, named after Queen Margherita, wife of Italy's king Umberto I

Dough

1 oz fresh yeast or 2 packages active dry yeast

2/3-1 cup warm water

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

Topping

1 (14 oz) can crushed tomatoes

8 oz mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced

1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, torn

3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Let sit until creamy, about 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Add the yeast mixture and stir well. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover an let rice until doubles in volume, about 1-1 1/2 hour.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll out into a large pizza crust shape. Transfer to a pizza pan or cookie sheet. Spread the tomatoes evenly over the top, sprinkle wit basil, cover with mozzarella cheese.  Drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil.

Bake in the preheated oven until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbling, about 20 minutes. Before serving, garnish with basil leaves and drizzle wit remaining oil.

Adapted from  SIMPLY DELICIOUS ITALIAN by Carla Bardi