Sheet Pan Pizza Margherita

Serving Size: 10

This delicious classic Italian pizza is prepared in the traditional manner, except it's formed into a rectangle for easy cutting, and baking in a home oven. Enjoy one pizza tonight and wrap the other to re-heat later. Note: Make sure to use a stand mixer with a dough hook for best crust texture and taste. This recipe requires two heavy-duty, rimmed 1/2 sheet baking pans.

Recipe by: Reneta Jenik

Cook Times

Active Prep15

Hands-On Cook0

Hands-Off Cook45

Passive0

Total Time1

Recipe Serving Size10

Cooking Tools Required

Baking sheet, Can Opener, Cutting board, Mixing bowls, Sharp Knives, Stand Mixer

Ingredients

For the dough:

2 1/4 cup warm water just slightly above body temperature, about 100 degrees
1 ½ tablespoon granulated yeast about 2 packets
1 ½ tablespoon Kosher salt preferably Diamond Crystal brand
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
6 ½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour scoop gently and level with a knife

For the pizza:

15 ounce canned tomato sauce
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
16 ounce fresh mozzarella balls about 2 large balls, sliced into rounds 1/8 inch thick
1 bunch fresh basil leaves torn into small pieces
4 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon Kosher salt use your favorite
4 tablespoon Pecorino Romano cheese optional, grated

Instructions

To make the dough:

Pour warm water into the bowl of a 5-quart stand mixer.
Stir in yeast, salt, sugar, and olive oil.
Next mix in the flour and using the dough hook, knead on low for 5 minutes.
Divide dough in half and shape into two balls. Cover with plastic wrap and allow dough to rise for 1.5 hours in a warm room, until about doubled in size.

To assemble and bake the pizza:

Space two oven racks in upper third and lower third of oven. Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
Dust a round of dough with flour and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Using your hands stretch the dough to fill the entire sheet. Dough should be 1/8 inch thick with a thicker border. Repeat with remaining dough ball.
Place ½ of the tomato sauce inside the rim of each pizza. Season with Kosher salt.
Arrange the mozzarella slices evenly on top of the tomato puree on each pizza.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, rearranging sheet pans for more even baking if needed. Remove and immediately scatter the basil leaves over the pizzas. Drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with sea salt. If using the pecorino Romano, sprinkle over pizza.

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