Pesto Margherita Pizza

Making Pizza at home is one of my favorite activity to do with kids.  It makes it very interesting for the kids that they have a choice to choose their base sauce and toppings. After all the permutation and combination we tried, we pretty much came to a conclusion that pesto margherita pizza made with fresh mozzarella is our family favorite. This recipe makes pizza dough enough to make 4 - 12 inch pizza. The dough stays good in the fridge for about 5 days and 3 months in the freezer.

Ingredients

Dough

• 6 cups unbleached flour
• 1 and 1/4 tsp of active dry yeast or 1 tsp instant yeast
• 2 and 1/2 cups of water (Luke warm if using active dry yeast)
• 2 tsp sugar
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Sauce and Toppings

• 1/4 cup pesto sauce
• 2 firm roma tomatoes
• 8oz pkg fresh mozzarella
• 1/3 cup fresh basil leaves
• 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

To make the pizza dough

1. Start making the dough at least 24 hours before the day you want to bake the pizza.
2. If you are using the active dry yeast, warm the water for about 110 degrees F. Anything more than that will kill the yeast. To this water, add the yeast and sugar, give it a stir, and let it sit for a few minutes. You will start seeing tiny bubbles, and the mixture foams up on top.
3. Pour the mixture into the stand mixer, add salt, and mix on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes. If kneading by hand, knead for about 5 minutes.
4. If you are using the instant yeast, no need for warm water. Just add all the ingredients for the pizza dough in a stand mixer or a bowl.
5. Add 1 tbsp of olive oil and knead it for 1 more minute.
6. Transfer the dough to a well-floured surface to prevent sticking.
7. Divide the dough into 4 equal portions. Fold each portion about 8 times by bringing both corners to the center. Tuck it well and make a nice smooth ball.
8. Place each portion of dough in a separate greased bowl, cover it, and keep it in the refrigerator for a minimum of 24 hours. After proofing it for a day, you can transfer the unused dough to the freezer.

To make the pizza

1. Take the dough out from the refrigerator and leave it out for a couple of hours before you start making the pizza.
2. Preheat your oven to 550 degrees F for about 30 minutes.
3. Dust the counter with enough flour and place the pizza dough on top of it. Gently punch it down with your knuckles as you spread the dough.
4. Do not use a roller. Hand-stretch the dough to a little more than 12 inches as it will tend to shrink.
5. My favorite way to bake the pizza is with a cast-iron pan. Place the stretched dough on a greased 12-inch cast-iron pan and cook it on the stovetop until the bottom is slightly brown.
6. Switch off the stove, spread pesto sauce evenly, leaving the edge out. Make sure you drain all the oil in the pesto before you add it to the pizza.
7. Now add the sliced mozzarella evenly on top. Arrange the sliced tomatoes. Make sure you place the sliced tomato on top of a kitchen towel to absorb all the excess moisture, or your pizza will be very watery.
8. Sprinkle the parmesan cheese on top.
9. Switch your oven to broil and place the cast-iron pan in the oven. Broil until the cheese melts and becomes bubbly.
10. Remove it from the oven and top it with fresh basil.