Chef Alyssa: Margarita Pizza

As an Italian girl, I love a good slice of pizza. While there's nothing better than a slice of pizzeria pizza, it isn't the best thing you can put in your body, and the cost of a good one keeps rising. Because of this, I think I've finally perfected my homemade version of a Margarita pizza, and trust me, this one is one of my favorites.

What You Will Need:

• Pre-made pizza dough. I used whole wheat, which I found in a plastic bag in the dairy section of my grocery store
• 3-4 plum tomatoes, sliced and quartered. Depending on the size, the count my vary. I used freshly grown ones that were about a medium-size and I used four on my pizza
• 1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese mixed with 2 tbsps of grated parmesan 
• 7-8 fresh basil leaves or a tbsp of dried basil. I sliced my basil into stripes, but feel free to leave it whole for a more authentic look
• Garlic powder
• Olive oil

Take your pre-made dough out of its original bag and put it in a bowl covered with plastic wrap to rise, leaving for anywhere from 15-30 minutes. I left mine for about 25, which is when I gathered my other ingredients and did my prep work!

Once you've left your dough to rest, you have to roll it out. This is the trickest step for me, and I typically kneed it a little bit with my hands before breaking out the rolling pin. I use a thin, plastic cutting board, which I place on top of a dish towel so it doesn't slide around, and spray the pin and the board down with some cooking spray before rolling to avoid sticking. After your dough is rolled out, transfer it on to an aluminum foil lined baking pan (make sure to spray that down, too!). As you can see, my aluminum foil and I had a little fight, but i got it to work in the end. 

Drizzle about a tsp of olive oil onto the dough, spreading around with either the back of a spoon or your fingers. Then sprinkle a little garlic powder and add a thin layer of cheese. I like my pizza extra cheesy, but you can skip this step if you don't. 

After the crust layer is settled, simply build up your pizza! Add your tomatoes, sprinkle the cheese over the top, and then add the basil. Try and keep the ingredients as evened out and flat as possible for more thorough cooking. 

Bake in a 400°F oven for 12-16 minutes, or until the dough looks done and the cheese is melted. Let rest 2 minutes before slicing. 

And that's it! A pizza this size typically makes 8-10 squares for me (I slice down the middle of the length and then three or four slices on the width) and is usually gone within an hour of it coming out of the oven!

What's your favorite pizza topping?

Alyssa