Tomato Pie

Making pizza is easier than you think. Sure, there’s a bit of waiting while the dough rises, but you’d have to wait for one to delivered, wouldn’t you? And turning out your own pizza…well, you have to do it to experience the thrill.

Makes 1 large pizza

Ingredient List:

Pizza dough

• 1/2 cup warm spring or filtered water
• 1 package active dry yeast
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 1/2 cups warm spring or filtered water
• 2 cups semolina flour
• 2 cups whole wheat flour

• 1 large jar unsweetened tomato sauce

Step By Step Instructions:

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand for 5 minutes, until foamy. Stir in oil and salt.  Using a wooden spoon, slowly stir in semolina flour. Slowly stir in whole wheat flour to form a soft, moist dough (which makes a crispy crust). Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10-15 minutes to achieve a smooth elastic dough. Add flour as needed for kneading, but not too much or the dough will become dry. Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl and oil the surface of the dough to prevent a crust from forming. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours.

While dough rises, simply heat the tomato sauce over low heat.

Preheat oven to 450o. Lightly flour a round baking stone or lightly oil a pizza tin. Punch down dough and, on a lightly floured surface roll out to the size of the stone or tin. Transfer dough to the prepared stone and spread sauce over the crust, leaving about 1 inch around the rim. Drizzle with oil and bake for about 30 minutes, until the crust is golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes before slicing. If you want to be authentically Italian, top your finished pizza with baby arugula and halved cherry tomatoes.   

Cook’s Tip: You can make your own sauce or buy a jarred version. Just look for one that’s most natural…the least amount of ingredients and no sugar.