Recipe: Buy dough, perk up crushed tomatoes, add mozzarella, and you’ve got homemade pizza Margherita

Serves 4

A basic Neapolitan-style pizza Margherita combines tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and fresh basil, the colors of the Italian flag. Make your own dough or simplify things with commercial dough from the supermarket or from your neighborhood pizzeria (most will sell you their dough). Then perk up a can of crushed tomatoes to use as the sauce. The shape here is a large rectangle that fills a rimless baking sheet dusted with cornmeal. Bake it on the lowest rack of the oven so the underside browns and turns crusty. You don't need to transfer it onto a pizza stone; bake the pizza right in the pan. If you have a stone, heat it in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes and set the baking sheet on the stone. Make two of these for a hungry crowd.

Cornmeal (for sprinkling)

¾

cup crushed tomatoes

¼

teaspoon dried oregano

Salt and pepper, to taste

Flour (for sprinkling)

1

pound commercial pizza dough, at room temperature

6

ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced

¼

cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1

sprig fresh basil leaves, 8 torn, 8 left whole for garnish

1. Position a rack at the lowest level of the oven. Set the oven at 475 degrees. Sprinkle a large rimless baking sheet (about 15-by-13-inches) with cornmeal.

2. In a bowl, combine the tomatoes, oregano, and a generous pinch each of salt and pepper. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper, if you like.

3. Sprinkle the counter lightly with flour. Place the dough on it and flour the dough. With a rolling pin, flatten the dough, rolling out from the center and toward the edges. Lift up the dough and hold onto an edge, then rotate it like you're turning a steering wheel to let gravity stretch it more. Lay the dough flat and keep gently stretching it until it's a large rectangle shape (with a slightly thicker edge) about 15-by-12 inches. If any holes develop, pinch the dough to seal them. Lift up the dough and quickly center it on the baking sheet. Stretch out any rumpled areas. The dough should almost completely fill the pan.

4. Spoon the tomato mixture on the dough and use the back of the spoon to spread it, leaving a 1-inch border around the edge. Top with mozzarella and sprinkle with Parmesan. Scatter the torn basil leaves on top.

5. Transfer to the lowest rack of the oven. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbling.

6. Remove the pan from the oven. Loosen the pizza from the pan using a flat metal spatula. Slide the pizza onto a large cutting board. Scatter the remaining basil on top. With a pizza wheel or large chef's knife, cut the pizza in half lengthwise. Make 3 cuts crosswise to yield 8 squares.

Lisa Zwirn

Serves 4

A basic Neapolitan-style pizza Margherita combines tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and fresh basil, the colors of the Italian flag. Make your own dough or simplify things with commercial dough from the supermarket or from your neighborhood pizzeria (most will sell you their dough). Then perk up a can of crushed tomatoes to use as the sauce. The shape here is a large rectangle that fills a rimless baking sheet dusted with cornmeal. Bake it on the lowest rack of the oven so the underside browns and turns crusty. You don't need to transfer it onto a pizza stone; bake the pizza right in the pan. If you have a stone, heat it in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes and set the baking sheet on the stone. Make two of these for a hungry crowd.

1. Position a rack at the lowest level of the oven. Set the oven at 475 degrees. Sprinkle a large rimless baking sheet (about 15-by-13-inches) with cornmeal.

2. In a bowl, combine the tomatoes, oregano, and a generous pinch each of salt and pepper. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper, if you like.

3. Sprinkle the counter lightly with flour. Place the dough on it and flour the dough. With a rolling pin, flatten the dough, rolling out from the center and toward the edges. Lift up the dough and hold onto an edge, then rotate it like you're turning a steering wheel to let gravity stretch it more. Lay the dough flat and keep gently stretching it until it's a large rectangle shape (with a slightly thicker edge) about 15-by-12 inches. If any holes develop, pinch the dough to seal them. Lift up the dough and quickly center it on the baking sheet. Stretch out any rumpled areas. The dough should almost completely fill the pan.

4. Spoon the tomato mixture on the dough and use the back of the spoon to spread it, leaving a 1-inch border around the edge. Top with mozzarella and sprinkle with Parmesan. Scatter the torn basil leaves on top.

5. Transfer to the lowest rack of the oven. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbling.

6. Remove the pan from the oven. Loosen the pizza from the pan using a flat metal spatula. Slide the pizza onto a large cutting board. Scatter the remaining basil on top. With a pizza wheel or large chef's knife, cut the pizza in half lengthwise. Make 3 cuts crosswise to yield 8 squares.Lisa Zwirn

Lisa Zwirn can be reached at [email protected].