pat's Recipe

Heirloom Tomato and Basil Pizza

Category: Pizza

1/2 batch thin-crust pizza dough (see related
recipe at right)
All-purpose flour for dusting
Olive oil for brushing
3 1/2 oz. mozzarella cheese, grated
4 oz. heirloom tomatoes, thinly sliced, or 1/2
pint cherry tomatoes, halved
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
5 or 6 fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
Directions:
Prepare a hot fire in a grill and preheat a pizza stone for at least 30 minutes, until the thermometer on the stone registers 500°F.

Using a rolling pin or your hands, gently roll out or stretch the dough into a 10-inch round. Lightly dust a pizza peel with flour and lay the dough on top. Lightly brush the dough with olive oil. Scatter the cheese evenly over the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Arrange the tomatoes on top and season with salt and pepper. Carefully slide the pizza onto the preheated pizza stone, cover the grill and bake until the crust is golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes.

Using a pizza peel, transfer the pizza to a cutting board and cut into slices. Scatter the basil over the pizza and serve immediately. Serves 2.

Thin-Crust Pizza Dough
1 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast
1 tsp. sugar
3/4 cup warm water (about 105°F)
1 cup cake flour
1 cup plus 3 Tbs. all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
Directions:
In a small bowl, whisk together the yeast, sugar and warm water and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the dough blade, combine the cake flour, all-purpose flour and salt and pulse 3 or 4 times.

Whisk 1 Tbs. of the olive oil into the yeast mixture. With the motor running, slowly add the yeast mixture to the flour mixture, allowing each addition to be absorbed before adding more. Pulse the machine 10 to 15 times to knead the dough. The dough should clean the insides of the bowl but will be slightly sticky.

Coat the inside of a large bowl with the remaining 1 Tbs. oil. Dust your hands with flour and remove the dough from the food processor. Form the dough into a ball and place in the bowl. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Divide the dough in half and roll out as directed in the pizza recipe. Makes two 10-inch thin-crust pizzas.