NY pizza with basil
Makes
4
Level
Medium with a grown-up
Kids cook with a grown-up. Hot ovens, boiling water and frying are grown-up jobs, and sharp knives need a grown-up’s hands too.
Ingredients
Pizza dough: 2 balls, about 12 oz each, risen and at room temperature
Bread flour: 1/4 cup, for dusting
Crushed tomatoes: one 14 oz can
Salt: a pinch
Low-moisture mozzarella: 8 oz, shredded
Fresh mozzarella: 4 oz, torn into small pieces
Fresh basil: a small handful of leaves
Aged balsamic vinegar: 1 tablespoon, for drizzling
Method
Take the dough out of the fridge 2 to 3 hours before baking so it relaxes.
Put a pizza stone or steel in the oven and heat it to 500°F for 45 minutes. A grown-up handles the hot oven.
Stir a pinch of salt into the crushed tomatoes.
Dust the board with flour and stretch one dough ball into a 12 inch round, keeping the edge a little thicker.
Spoon a thin layer of tomatoes in the middle and spread it with the back of the spoon, leaving a border.
Scatter the shredded mozzarella over the sauce, then dot it with the torn fresh mozzarella.
Slide the pizza onto the hot stone with a floured peel and bake 6 to 8 minutes, until the crust has dark spots and the cheese bubbles.
Move the pizza to the board and drizzle it with a little balsamic.
Tear the basil over the top, slice and serve right away.
Repeat with the second dough ball.
