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Authentic Italian Recipe: Margherita Pizza - Found in Italy!


  • Authentic Italian Recipe

    Margherita Pizza

    Ingredients:

    • 1 (28-ounce) can pelati tomatoes*
    • Kosher salt
    • All-purpose flour, for dusting
    • 4 (12-ounce) pizza dough balls, at room temperature, recipe follows
    • 8-ounce mozzarella, grated
    • Handful fresh basil leaves, torn


    Pizza Dough:

    • 1 (.25-ounce) package dry active yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
    • 1/2 cup lukewarm water (about 105 to 115 degrees F)
    • 4 cups bread flour
    • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
    • 3/4 cup cold water
    • 1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for bowl

Directions: Preheat a wood-fired pizza oven to very hot 4 hours before cooking. Alternately, you can use a preheated pizza stone in your home oven. It's best to heat it for 1 hour at 500 degrees F before baking.

Add tomatoes to a food processor and process until smooth. Season with salt.

Sprinkle some flour on your pizza peel. Using a rolling pin, stretch your dough to a very thin 10-inch round.

Using a spoon to spread, put 1/4 of the sauce on the dough, and spread leaving a 1-inch border. Sprinkle 1/4 of the mozzarella over the sauce.

Gently put the pizza on the floor of the pizza oven. Bake until golden and crisp, about 3 minutes. Top with hand torn basil.

Pizza Dough:
In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the yeast, lukewarm water, and 1/2 cup bread flour. Mix well and let sit until bubbly, about 30 minutes.

Whisk together the remaining 3 1/2 cups bread flour and salt in another bowl so it will be evenly distributed.

Once the yeast mixture is nice and bubbly and looks like foamy beer, add 3/4 cup cold water and olive oil. Using a dough hook, turn the mixer on and add the flour in increments.

Mix the dough for about 5 minutes, until the dough starts creeping up the dough hook and comes away from the sides of the bowl.

Place the dough in a large bowl lightly greased with olive oil. Turn to coat all sides of the dough with oil. Cover the bowl loosely with a clean tea towel. Let rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours. Punch dough down, and let rise another hour.

Divide the dough into 4 equal disks. Lightly flour a work surface. Using your fingers or heels of your hands (and a rolling pin, if you prefer) stretch the disks out to a 10-inch round.

Repeat with the remaining 3 pizza dough disks.

Recipe courtesy of Gabriele Corcos and Debi Mazar

YOUR DREAM AWAITS!

A wonderful dish that can be found only in Italy! Always wanting to go to Italy and experience the Amalfi Coast or Pompei? Come with the Western DuPage Chamber of Commerce on a trip of a lifetime! Visit WWW.WDCCTRAVEL.COM or click on the "Italy Trip" tab through our website and see how an incredible adventure awaits!  Our chamber will be visiting:

     Naples
     Sorrento
     Pompeii
     Capri
     Amalfi
     Positano
     Ravello

Rich in culture and stunning scenery, irresistible Southern Italy is the setting for this breathtaking journey. Enjoy an eight-day journey back to the old country where you will explore not one, but many Italies. As one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, find yourself relaxing in the town of Sorrento or sight-seeing along the Amalfi Coast, which includes gorgeous places such as Positano, Ravello and Amalfi. On this remarkable trip you will also encounter the world famous archeological site of Pompeii. The beautiful Amalfi Coast awaits you with its great food, historical sites and beautiful architecture, providing an unforgettable Italian experience. Click here for more information!

 



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West Chicago, IL 60185
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Email: team@westerndupagechamber.com

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