Delicious Homemade Pizza: Mario Batali's Pizza Margherita

Enlarge Image Image Gallery Tyler Florence, host of Food Network's "Food 911," offers hearty Grilled Pizza with Mozzarella di Bufala and Sausage. Cherry tomatoes and fresh basil make bright counterpoints for the cheese and sausage. Photo by Petrina Tinslay

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This is the quintessential pizza, named for Italy’s Queen Margherita and sporting the colors of the Italian flag. Don’t worry if the pizzas aren’t perfectly round--they will look more appealing if they are not. Be sure to let the dough set and firm up on the grill before flipping it, or it might stick or tear. Makes four 9- to 10-inch pizzas.

•  Pizza dough 
• 1 cup simple tomato sauce (Batali likes Pomì strained tomatoes)
• 8 ounces fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
• About 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 24 fresh basil leaves
• Coarse sea salt

1. Prepare a gas or charcoal grill for indirect grilling. Divide pizza dough into four pieces and shape each into a ball. Let dough rest 15 minutes, loosely covered with a tea towel or plastic wrap.

2. Using a floured rolling pin or your hands, stretch each ball into a 9- to 10-inch round.
Carefully lay one round of dough over the hottest part of the grill and cook until the bottom is lightly browned and dry, about 2 minutes. Using tongs, gently lift the dough, flip it and cook just 30 seconds more.

3. Transfer to a baking sheet, with the less-cooked side facing up. Repeat with remaining dough rounds. Let cool.

4. Divide sauce among the partially cooked pizzas and, using the back of a spoon, spread it evenly to within ½ inch of the edges of dough. Divide cheese among pizzas.

5. Place one or two pizzas at a time on the cooler part of grill; cook until cheese melts and bottoms are crisp and golden brown, about 2 minutes.

6. Transfer to a cutting board and drizzle with olive oil. Scatter 6 torn basil leaves over each pizza and sprinkle with coarse sea salt. Cut into slices with a pizza wheel and serve hot.

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