Waffled Margherita Pizza Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Put a jelly roll pan or a half sheet pan in the oven.
• Begin by making the tomato sauce. In a large saute pan over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons olive oil, the minced garlic, thyme and oregano. Cook until just fragrant then add the crushed tomatoes and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Lower the heat and simmer for 7 to 8 minutes to reduce and concentrate the flavor. Shut off the heat and set aside.
• Take the preheated jelly roll pan out of the oven and drizzle some olive oil over the entire surface. Cut the dough into 2 pieces and reserve 1 piece for another use. Stretch the pizza dough out so it is just bigger than the pan, then lay it inside the pan, so the dough comes up the sides to form a crust on the rim. Smear with tomato sauce then tear up the mozzarella and scatter it evenly over the top of the pie. Tear the basil leaves, spread them over the top and drizzle with a little more olive oil. Give it a final season with salt and pepper, to taste, then bake in the hot oven until golden and bubbly, about 15 to 18 minutes
• In a small bowl, combine the yeast, sugar and water and stir gently to dissolve. Let the mixture stand until the yeast comes alive and starts to foam, 5 to 10 minutes.
• If you're using a stand mixer, combine the salt and flour to the bowl and pulse a few times to mix. Add the yeast mixture, at the lowest speed, until the flour incorporates. When the dough starts to come together, increase the speed to medium and mix until the dough gathers into a ball. This should take about 2 minutes. Add the olive oil and pulse a few more times. Stop the machine periodically to scrape the dough off the hook. Get a feel for the dough as you're making it by squeezing a small amount together between your thumb and fingers. If it's crumbly, add more water, if it's sticky, add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and fold it over itself a few times, kneading until it's smooth and elastic.
• If you're making the dough by hand, add the yeast mixture to a large bowl and stir in the salt and the 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Then begin stirring in the flour. When the mixture becomes too stiff to stir with a spoon, knead in the rest of the flour by hand, adding just enough so that the dough is soft but not too sticky. As you work, squeeze a small amount of dough together between your thumb and fingers. If it's crumbly, add more water; if it's sticky, add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.
• Form the dough into a round and put it into a lightly oiled bowl, turning it over to coat the dough entirely with the oil. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let it rise in a warm spot (i.e., over a gas pilot light) until it doubles in size, about 1 hour.
• Remove from the oven, cut into slices and serve. .

Steps:

• Make the dough: Combine the yeast, 1 cup warm water (about 100 degrees F) and the sugar in a food processor and pulse once to combine. Let sit until foamy, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the olive oil and pulse to combine. Mix the flour and 2 teaspoons salt in a medium bowl; add to the food processor and pulse until the dough pulls away from the side and gathers around the blade.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and form into 2 even balls. Transfer to 2 lightly oiled bowls; cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 2 to 4 hours. (You can make the dough ahead; wrap in plastic and refrigerate up to 1 week or freeze up to 2 months. Bring to room temperature before using.)
• Set a pizza stone or large baking sheet on the lowest oven rack and preheat to 500 degrees F. Meanwhile, make the topping: Combine the tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes and 1 teaspoon salt in a bowl.
• Stretch 1 ball of dough into a 12-inch round on a lightly floured pizza peel or inverted baking sheet. Spread about 1/2 cup of the tomato mixture on the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Top with half of the mozzarella, then brush the edge lightly with olive oil.
• Slide the pizza onto the hot stone or baking sheet and bake until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbling, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and let cool 2 minutes before slicing. Repeat to make the second pizza.

Steps:

• Stir together the tomatoes, 1 tablespoon olive oil, the salt, basil and garlic. Let sit at room temperature to give the flavors time to meld, about 1 hour.
• Preheat a waffle iron to medium-high. Lightly dust a clean work surface with flour and roll out half of the pizza dough into a 6-inch round (or to the maximum size your waffle iron can fit). Brush one side with olive oil and place oiled-side down on the waffle iron, then brush the other side with oil. Close the iron (don't push down) and cook until golden and cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes. Repeat with the remaining dough.
• Meanwhile, heat the tomato sauce in a microwave until hot. Spread each pizza with half of the sauce and half of the mozzarella. Place one pizza back on the waffle iron and hold the top of the iron just over the cheese until melted, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove and garnish with basil leaves, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with Parmesan. Repeat with the second pizza.
• Cut the pizzas into slices with a large knife or pizza cutter and serve.
• Copyright 2013 Television Food Network, G.P. All rights reserved
• From Food Network Kitchens

Steps:

• For the dough: Combine the sugar, oil, yeast and 2 cups cold water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Let the mixture sit until foamy, about 10 minutes.
• Mix the flour and salt in a bowl. With the motor running, slowly add the flour mixture to the yeast mixture. Keep mixing until a smooth, elastic dough forms, about 10 minutes.
• Transfer the dough to a lightly greased baking sheet and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour.
• Divide the dough into four 12-ounce pieces and shape into balls. Transfer the balls to a lightly greased 9-by-13-inch baking dish and brush with oil. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 24 hours.
• For the sauce: Remove each tomato from the can and reserve 3 cups of the puree. Cut the tomatoes in half and, using your fingers, remove and discard the seeds (don't rinse). Place the tomatoes in a food processor and pulse until just crushed but not pureed. (Alternatively, crush the tomatoes by hand or pass them through a food mill.) Transfer the tomato sauce to a bowl and stir in the reserved 3 cups of puree and some salt.
• For the pizza: Place a pizza stone under the oven broiler. Preheat the broiler for 30 minutes.
• Working in four batches, dust a ball of dough heavily with semolina. Using your fingertips, press the dough from the center out, into a 10-inch circle, about 1/4-inch thick, leaving a 1-inch thick crust around the edges.
• Hold the dough straight up, and with your fingertips circling the crust, let the dough naturally fall. Slide your fingers around crust in a circular motion (like you would turn a steering wheel) until the dough in the center is stretched to about 1/8-inch thick. Repeat for the remaining dough balls. Transfer the dough to a semolina-dusted pizza peel.
• Spread each pizza with about 1/2 cup sauce evenly over center of the dough, distribute a quarter each of the cheese and basil leaves, and drizzle with oil. Slide a pizza onto the stone and broil until the cheese melts and the crust is puffed and charred in spots, 3 to 4 minutes. Repeat for the remaining pizzas. Serve hot. Enjoy!

Steps:

• Prepare the grill for direct and indirect cooking.
• Once the grill is hot (you can hold your hands an inch over the grates for no more than 2 seconds), stretch and shape the dough into a 12-inch round on a flat surface. Brush the top with oil, salt and pepper and toss on the grill, oil-side down. Cook until the bottom is golden brown, 1 minute. Check the bottom of the dough to see if it is getting browned. If it is on one part, but not the other, use a spatula or tongs to rotate the dough 90 degrees and cook for another minute. If it is still not beginning to brown, cover the grill and continue to cook a minute at a time until the bottom has browned evenly. (It should only take a couple minutes if you have a hot grill.) The top of the pizza dough will also start bubbling up with air pockets.
• Once the pizza dough has browned on the bottom, flip over and grill until golden brown and the dough is just firm, another minute or so. Remove to a sheet pan. Cover the grill so it retains the heat for the next step.
• Drizzle the top with more olive oil. Put the mozzarella and tomato slices on top and season with salt and pepper. Return the pizza to the grill on the sheet pan, cover the grill and cook for 3 or 4 minutes to melt the cheese. Remove from the grill and tear the basil leaves over the top. Slice and serve immediately.

Steps:

• Combine the flour, undissolved yeast, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Stir in the oil and 2/3 cup of water.
• Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead the mixture, adding more flour if the dough is too sticky, until the surface is smooth and elastic, 4 to 6 minutes. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Drizzle a rimmed sheet pan or pre-heated pizza stone with oil. Roll out the dough and place it on the pan. Top with the tomato sauce, mozzarella, basil, salt, pepper and a bit more oil.
• Bake the pizza until the crust is golden and the toppings are bubbling, about 15 minutes, depending on the size and thickness of your crust.