Argentinean Pizza – Pizza Argentina
Makes four individual pizzas
For dough
1 packet dry active yeast
¾ cup warm water
¼ cup olive oil
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
For topping
4 tsp olive oil
4 plum tomatoes
4, ¼ inch slices Mozarella or white frying cheese
8 garlic cloves, finely sliced
16 basil leaves, chopped, plus more as desired
4 tsp olive oil
4 plum tomatoes
4, ¼ inch slices Mozarella or white frying cheese
8 garlic cloves, finely sliced
16 basil leaves, chopped, plus more as desired
Make dough
- Combine yeast, 2 Tbsp flour, and warm water in a large bowl and let stand until surface appears creamy, about 10 minutes. If mixture doesn’t appear creamy, discard and start with new yeast.
- In a bowl, place the flour and salt. Add the yeast and olive oil and mix with a wooden spoon.
- Turn the dough on to a clean, floured, surface and knead for 8 minutes until soft and elastic, lightly reflouring when the dough becomes too sticky.
- Oil a plastic bowl and place the dough in it. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for at least 1 ¼ hours.
Prepare oven for pizza
- Remove the metal dividers from the oven and cover them with aluminum foil. Place the covered dividers back in the oven.
- At least 45 minutes before baking pizza, pre-heat oven to 500 degrees.
Shape dough and assemble pizza
- 15 minutes before baking, deflate the dough and slightly knead on a floured surface.
- Shape dough into a rope and cut into four equal pieces.
- Shape each piece into a disk and dust with flour. On a floured surface, stretch dough with your fingers until it reaches a 5-inch diameter.
- Brush pizza with olive oil. Arrange the tomatoes, cheese and garlic on its surface, leaving a 1 inch border. Sprinkle with basil.
- Cut a piece of parchment paper big enough to accommodate the pizza. Generously sprinkle it with cornmeal. Place the pizza over the parchment.
- Slide pizza on parchment pre-heated oven. Bake until dough is crisp and browned and cheese is golden and bubbling in spots, 13 to 16 minutes. Transfer pizza to a cutting board. Cool 5 minutes. Sprinkle with more basil leaves before slicing.