Categories: Pizza

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 1 pkg. active dry yeast
• 1 pinch white sugar
• 3 3/4 cups flour
• 1 tsp salt
• Cornmeal
• 1 can or jar pizza sauce
• 2 8-oz. balls fresh mozzarella, cut into 20 to 24 slices
• 1 bunch fresh basil
• 4 tbsp. olive oil
• 4 pinches flaky sea salt
• Crushed red pepper

Directions

1. Mix water, yeast, and sugar in a large bowl. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. In another bowl, stir together flour and 1 tsp salt. Add half the flour mixture to the yeast mixture and stir until no dry spots remain. Stir in remaining flour mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. When dough comes together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.

2. Lightly oil a large bowl. Add dough and turn to coat with oil. Let rise, covered, in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour. Punch dough down, divide into 4 equal pieces and shape each into a ball.

3. sition a pizza stone on center oven rack and preheat oven to 500.

4. Pat and roll 1 dough ball into a 10- to 12-inch circle. Transfer to a pizza peel or extra-large baking sheet generously dusted with cornmeal. Top with about 1/3 cup pizza sauce and spread to cover all but a 1-inch border. Arrange 5 or 6 slices mozzarella cheese on sauce and top with 5 or 6 large basil leaves. Drizzle with 1 tbsp. olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of sea salt.

5. Use peel to slide pizza onto pizza stone in oven. Bake until cheese is bubbly and the underside of crust is golden brown, 7-8 minutes. Finish with additional fresh basil and/or crushed red pepper.

6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 with remaining dough balls, sauce, cheese and basil.

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