Mamma Mia!

You know, there's nothing quite like a good pizza. And a great one? Forget about it.

The dough recipe I bummed off a woman I met in Jersey from New Zealand. Grazie, Sorella Fonua! She made some fantastic pizza for us missionaries one night and I HAD to have it. Ask and ye shall receive! (well...most of the time.)

The rest of the recipe was inspired by the many delicious margarita slices I had in Italian pizzerias on the east coast. Fresh ingredients make a HUGE difference (the mozzarella, the basil...though I find canned stewed/sliced tomatoes are an appropriate substitute for the fresh ones.)




SO--the dough.



In a large bowl mix together

*3 cups warm/hot watter
*1 tbsp. white sugar
*1 tbsp. brown sugar
*1 tbsp. salt

Then sprinkle on top

*1 packet of active dry yeast (or 2 1/4 tsp.)

Let sit for a minute or two. Then mix in with a big spoon, one cup at a time

*7 cups of good white flour.

Around the 6th and 7th cup, I toss out the spoon and knead it with your hands. Knead for a minute or two, and then put in a greased bowl. Spray the dough with non-stick spray and cover with Saran wrap. Allow to rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes. Dough should double in size. Go yeast, go.



Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Slice

*5-6 roma tomatoes



*16 oz. fresh mozzarella.



When the dough is ready, break it in two. You'll make two pizzas with it. Spread it out on either greased cookies sheets or greased pizza stones. (or...one of each!)

poke many little holes with a fork and then drizzle with

*Balsamic Vinegar and...
*Olive Oil




using your clean hands, massage the oil and vinegar into the dough.






If you like, you can add a little bit of

*tomato sauce

as well. Massage that in too. Top your pizzas with the tomatoes and mozzarella.



sprinkle generously with

*dried basil
*freshly ground sea salt

Place the pizzas in the oven for 20-25 minutes.

Remove from the oven and top with torn fresh basil leaves.



ENJOY. (duh.)




Gustare!



----------THE RECIPE REVIEW----------

Pros: The dough is super-easy to make, and pretty quick. You have to let it rise for 30 minutes, but that's a good time to do all of your slicing and dicing. With the vibrant red and green, the pizza is aesthetically pleasing as well as delicious. I'm a fan of food that both looks and tastes good!

Cons: Fresh mozzarella DOES cost more than the regular kind. But a few bones makes a big difference! Trust me.