Ingredients
- 2 lbs fresh pizza dough , enough to make two 12-inch pizzas (recommended Neo-Neapolitan Pizza Dough)
- unbleached high-gluten flour or bread flour or cornmeal or semolina flour , for dusting the peel
- 6 ounces full-fat low-moisture mozzarella cheese , coarsely grated
- 1/4 cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese or 1/4 cup pecorino romano cheese or 1/4 cup asiago cheese
- 2 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese , sliced (or coarsely shredded)
- 1 cup tomato sauce (Crushed Tomato Sauce)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano (or chopped fresh)
- 8 fresh basil leaves
Directions
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Place baking stone on the middle shelf of the oven; preheat oven to highest setting for at least 1 hour (make 1 pizza at a time).
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Shape dough into 12-inch round (supposed to toss and spin, ha ha); the dough should be very thin, about 1/8 inch thick, nearly translucent, and slightly thicker toward the edge.
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Transfer dough to a peel that has been dusted with flour.
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In a bowl, combine the 3 cheeses; spread ½ cup of tomato sauce over the surface of the dough, leaving a ¼ inch border.
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Distribute half the cheese evenly over the pizza; sprinkle half of the oregano over the cheese.
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Carefully slide the pizza from the peel onto the baking stone; bake 10-12 minutes; when done, the crust should be crisp and slightly charred on the edge and the cheese should be fully melted and just beginning to caramelize to a rich gold; the underside of the crust should be brown and crisp, not white and soft.
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If the underside is not ready when the top is finished, lower the shelf for the next pizza.
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While the pizza is baking, stack the basil leaves, roll them up lengthwise, and cut thinly crosswise to create shreds.
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Remove pizza from oven and immediately sprinkle half of the basil over the top; let pizza cool for 3 minutes before slicing and serving.
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Repeat with remaining ingredients to make the second pizza.