Pizza

Pizza:

Ingredients

• 1 recipe Pizza Dough (below)
• 1 recipe Pizza sauce (below) or store-bought pizza sauce
• 12 ounces mozzarella, shredded (3 cups)
• 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• Olive oil
• 6 tablespoons torn fresh basil

Directions

1. Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position. Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
2. Meanwhile, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter, cut into 3 even pieces, and cover with plastic wrap. Working with one piece of dough at a time, shape into a smooth, round ball, cover again with plastic wrap, and let rest 20 to 30 minutes.
3. Uncover one ball of dough, and stretch and shape the dough into a 12-inch round on a piece of parchment paper. Slide dough onto a 12-inch pizza pan.
4. Spread about 1/2 cup of the pizza sauce over the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch edge of dough uncovered. Sprinkle with 4 ounces (1 cup) of the mozzarella and 1 tablespoon of the Parmesan. Lightly brush the edge of the dough with oil.
5. Bake until the edges brown and the cheese is golden in spots, 8 to 13 minutes. While baking, prepare the next pizza.
6. Transfer pizza to a cutting board, discarding the parchment paper. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of the basil and cut the pizza into 6 wedges. 
7. Repeat steps 3 to 6 with the remaining two pizzas.

Pizza dough:

Ingredients

• 4 1/4 cups bread flour, plus extra for the counter
• 1 envelope (2 1/4 teaspoons) instant or rapid-rise yeast
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups water, warm

Directions

1. Pulse 4 cups of the flour, yeast, and salt in a food processor (fitted with a dough blade, if possible) to combine. With the processor running, pour the oil, then the water through the feed tube and process until a rough ball forms, 30 to 40 seconds. Let the dough rest for 2 minutes, then process for 30 seconds longer
2. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and knead by hand to form a smooth, round ball, about 5 minutes, adding the remaining 1/4 cup flour as needed to prevent the dough from sticking to the counter. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Pizza sauce:

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Heat the oil and garlic in a medium saucepan over medium heat until the garlic is sizzling, about 1 1/2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and simmer until the sauce is thickened, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste