
Sourcing Authentic Ingredients for making global cuisine has always been a headache for me… The Place where I live does not have Walmart’s , Food Halls or any other big grocer giants where you can get all international products. So , At times I get irritated that I cannot explore my potential…. rather I cannot make what I want to…What A Bummer ! But I got to make peace with it. Then I try harder to make the best out of what I have with me. So this Margherita Pizza that you see is sans ‘San Marzano Tomatoes/ Plum Italian Tomatoes and fresh Mozzarella ( Buffalo or otherwise)’
But This Pizza was nothing less than Delicious for me and my Fam ! I used : Amul’s Mozzarella Cheese, Rolled out the Pizza Dough at Home, @Dr. Oetkers Pizza Sauce, Regular Tomatoes and plucked few Fresh Basil Leaves from my Garden !
Coming back to my dough making story – Making Homemade Pizza dough is such a fun task. Its a time consuming process but a very satisfactory one though ! I love kneading with hands ( like many do) shaping the dough , the whole process , ahh The Joy of biting into a perfectly baked crust is something else, don’t you agree ? Making this pizza from scratch has given me some different kind of confidence I would say. Will be exploring many variants hereafter ! Meanwhile ,whilst I bask into my pizza making glory… y’all may take a look at my Margherita Pizza Recipe !

Margherita Pizza – Some Say Margherita Pizza Is A Neapolitan Pizza that was named after Queen of Italy Margherita of Savoy, some also say that the Pizza got its name because of the daisy flower shaped arrangement of mozzarella and basil leaves since Margherita translates to ‘Daisy’ in Italian.Whatever the origin is. It was definitely a beautiful creation out of few and simple ingredients !



Preparation Time : 2 Hours
Cooking Time : 30 minutes
Yields: 2 – 12 inch Pizzas
INGREDIENTS:
1) Homemade Pizza Dough:
•3 1/2 cups of Plain Flour/ All Purpose Flour
•2 tsps Dry Active Yeast
•1 tbsp Sugar
•3 tbsps of Olive oil
•2 Cups of Warm Water
• Salt
2) Other Ingredients:
•Pizza Sauce
•Pepper Powder
•Mozzarella Cheese
•Basil Leaves
•Mixed Herbs
Method :
1. Proof the Dry Active Yeast with 1 cup of warm water and a Tsp of sugar , mix well and let it sit for 5-6 minutes . The yeast will froth up ( Note :the water should be too hot or too cold it’ll kill the yeast if it’s so, check the temperature with a Thermometer should be around 110 degrees Fahrenheit or 38 to 40 degrees Celcius )
2. Sift the all purpose flour in a Big mixing bowl ,make a well , add a Tbsp of olive oil, a tsp of salt and add the frothy active yeast mixture.
3. Start kneading the dough,it’ll take about good 8-10 minutes, add only warm water to the dough (do not add mire water) and knead it well, it should be a soft dough.
4. Now Grease the bowl with little oil and let the dough rest for about 1 hour , cover it with a cloth and let it rise. Meanwhile you could make some salads or mock tails to go with your pizza, and get your toppings ready.
5. After about an hour the dough has risen and doubled its size, Punch your dough to release air bubbles and knead it again nicely. Now Divide the dough in two portions.
6. Preheat your oven at 250 degrees C for 20 minutes.
7. Lightly grease your Pizza Pan, Baking Sheet with Olive Oil.
8. Sprinkle some flour onto the work surface and start shaping the dough, you may shape your dough with your hands or use a rolling pin. Make a nice round shaped pizza working with light hands, making a 12 inch disc (using your hands is the best way of doing it )Shape it nicely and lift up the edges to create a rim.
9. Now gently lift up the shaped pizza and place it onto your pizza pan or baking sheet, let it rest for 5 minutes
10. Now take little olive oil and crush the garlic into it, brush this over the pizza base, smear a tbsp of Pizza sauce over the base making sure you don’t overdo it and dont do it Over the edges,
11. Time to added chopped/ shredded mozzarella cheese. Place the thinly sliced fresh Tomatoes over the Pizza, sprinkle some cracked pepper, and mixed herbs over it.
12. Bake it for about 15-20 minutes at 250 degrees Celcius,or until the crust looks lightly browned.
13. Once the Pizza is done, remove it from the oven top it with garden fresh Basil. Slice it and serve immediately.