Cherry Tomato Pizza Margherita

Even though I love the takeouts...making simple pizzas at home has its own satisfaction and taste. Making homemade pizzas may sound complicated but it is not. It might not turn out perfect in the first attempt...but after three or four attempts you will get hold of the method. Today I am sharing the forever classic margherita pizza with cherry tomatoes. It is just as simple as it sounds.

Cherry Tomato Pizza Margherita

 Makes 1 large pizza

Ingredients:

250 gm of all purpose flour

1 and 1/4 tsp active dry yeast

8-10 cherry / grape tomatoes

200 gm of mini mozzarella balls / grated mozzarella

2 tbsp grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 

2 tbsp pizza sauce

1 tsp honey

A pinch of kosher salt

Method:

In a large bowl take the flour.

In a cup take 4 tbsp of warm water and mix in the dry acrive yeast.

Add honey and stir to mix. Leave the cup in the kitchen counter for about 15 minutes or until the mixture becomes frothy.

Pour this mixture into the bowl of flour and mix using salt and more water if required into a sticky dough.

Dust a flat surface with some flour and knead the dough there with the back of your palm for a good 5-7 minutes. This will awaken the gluten and the dough will become soft and stretchy.

Dust a bowl and put this dough inside the bowl.

Cover with a damp cloth or cling film and let it rest for about 2 hours.

After 2 hours, uncover the bowl and poke the dough with your finger.

Divide the dough into half and again let them rest separately for 15 minutes.

Take one of the dough to a flat dusted surface and by using your fingers or rolling pin roll it into a thin large tortilla.

Transfer this to the pizza mould or pizza stone and bake inside the oven 300F for 5-6 minutes.

After 5 minutes take it out of the oven and spread the pizza sauce over it.

Sprinkle the Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Scatter the mini mozzarella balls or slices.

Halve the cherry / grape tomatoes and place them on the pizza. You can just poke them and place whole or cut into halves and then place them. If you are using halved tomatoes, make sure that the cut side is faced up, so that the juices do not make the pizza moist.

Pop it inside the oven again for 7-10 minutes again, until the cheese becomes golden and bubbly and the edges of the pizza becomes golden.