**Introduction to Pizza Margherita with Chef Tony Matassa**
Hello and welcome to BBQGuys.com, I'm Chef Tony Matassa, and today we're going to put together some delicious Pizza Margherita. This classic Italian dish is always at the top of our requests, and for good reason - it's simple, yet flavorful, and pairs perfectly with a crispy crust. In this article, we'll take you through the process of making pizza dough from scratch, followed by preparing the sauce and assembling the perfect Pizza Margherita.
**Preparing the Pizza Dough**
Great pizza dough starts with only a few simple ingredients: olive oil, water, flour, salt, and a little honey to add subtle sweetness. We always use good extra virgin olive oil because it imparts a rich flavor to our pizzas. Water is also essential, as it helps create favorable baking characteristics and taste. When it comes to flour, we stick with bread flour, which has a higher percentage of protein than all-purpose flour. This gives pizza crust the chewy elasticity that everyone loves. Salt is another important ingredient; we use either sea salt or kosher salt for its distinct flavor.
The next step is to blend the mineral water with yeast and honey in a mixing bowl. The minerals in the water help activate the yeast, while the honey adds extra food for the yeast to feed on. Once this mixture has rested and proofed for about 10 minutes, we whisk together some salt and bread flour. When the yeast has activated, we make a well in the center of our flour and pour in the liquid mixture.
Using our hands, we gradually mix in the flour into the liquid until we reach a doughy consistency. We may need to add a splash of water or a small amount of flour to get it just right. Once we have the perfect dough, we turn everything out onto a well-floured work surface and begin kneading. Kneading for 5-8 minutes will help develop the gluten in our dough, creating a smooth and elastic crust.
After kneading, we coat our dough with some olive oil and place it in a bowl to rise covered with a damp towel. This allows our dough to double in size over time. At this stage, we can either set everything in a warm spot for 45 minutes to an hour or let it rise slowly in the refrigerator for a day or two. Either way, we're ready to move on to preparing the sauce.
**Preparing the Pizza Sauce**
One of the best things about pizza Margherita is that we don't have to cook our sauce - just combine these simple ingredients and add some fresh mozzarella cheese. We start by pouring in some crushed tomatoes and following it with the paste of 3 garlic cloves. We add in a little bit of extra virgin olive oil, followed by some granulated sugar, a little fresh cracked black pepper, and finally, some fresh grated parmesan cheese.
We stir everything together to combine, and it's time to press out our pizza dough. Once our dough has doubled in size, we cut it into two dough balls. We can then begin pressing out the dough from the center, making sure to let any excess air out. If our dough rose in the fridge, we'll need to let it come to room temperature before pressing it out - this will help it cooperate better.
We sprinkle some cornmeal on our pizza peel to prevent the dough from sticking when we slide it into the oven. Now that our dough is ready, we're one step away from assembling our Pizza Margherita. Next, we'll spread a thin layer of our homemade pizza sauce onto the dough, followed by a generous helping of fresh mozzarella cheese.
**Assembling and Baking the Pizza**
With our crust now topped with pizza sauce and cheese, it's time to slide it into the oven. We preheat our pizza oven to around 700 degrees Fahrenheit, which will allow our pizza dough to pop up quickly and crisp up nicely. We sprinkle some cornmeal on the pizza stone before baking to prevent the crust from sticking.
Keeping a close eye on our pizza, we turn it every 45 seconds or so until it's cooked to perfection. Our alfresco pizza oven has an infrared burner underneath the stones, as well as a hearth burner in the back next to the ceramic log. We love this gas-powered oven because it still has that classic pizza oven look and heat distribution.
After baking our pizza for about 10-15 minutes, we remove it from the oven and let it cool for a few minutes before slicing into it. And what's left? Absolutely delicious Pizza Margherita. With its crispy crust, flavorful sauce, and melted mozzarella cheese, this classic Italian dish is sure to please even the most discerning palates.
**Conclusion**
And that's it - our Pizza Margherita is finally ready! We hope you enjoyed following along with us as we prepared this delicious dish from scratch. Remember, making pizza dough and preparing your own sauce are simple but essential steps in creating a truly great pizza. With practice and patience, you'll be whipping up perfect pizzas in no time. Happy cooking!