What Can I Make with Basil, Flour, Mozzarella, and Tomato?

Ingredients

• •all-purpose flour
• •water, room temperature
• •salt
• •instant yeast
• •tomatoes, canned whole peeled
• •fresh mozzarella cheese
• •fresh basil leaves
• •olive oil

Steps

1. 1Pour 1.625 cups room-temperature water into a large bowl. Add 0.25 teaspoon instant yeast and stir with a fork until the yeast dissolves, about 30 seconds.
2. 2Add 2.5 cups all-purpose flour and 1.5 teaspoons salt to the water. Stir with your hands until a shaggy, wet dough forms with no dry flour visible, about 2 minutes.
3. 3Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel and leave it on the counter for 18 hours at room temperature. The dough will rise and develop bubbles—this is correct.
4. 4Open the can of whole peeled tomatoes and pour the tomatoes and juice into a small bowl. Crush the tomatoes by squeezing them in your fist several times until they break apart into chunky pieces.
5. 5Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and a pinch of salt to the crushed tomatoes. Stir to combine and let sit at room temperature while you prepare to bake.
6. 6Remove the 8 ounces of fresh mozzarella from the refrigerator. Tear it by hand into small irregular pieces, roughly the size of walnuts, and set aside on a plate.
7. 7Set your oven to 500°F. If you have a pizza stone or baking steel, place it on the lowest oven rack now. Wait for the oven to heat fully until the indicator light turns off or a beep sounds, about 15 minutes.
8. 8Dust a large piece of parchment paper with flour. Turn the dough out onto the parchment—it will be very wet and sticky. Don't knead it; instead, gently stretch it into a rough circle about 10 inches across by pulling the edges outward with your fingertips.
9. 9Spread 4 tablespoons of the tomato sauce evenly over the dough, leaving a half-inch border around the edge. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
10. 10Scatter the torn mozzarella pieces across the sauce in an uneven pattern, leaving some sauce visible between the cheese. There should be gaps—this is traditional Neapolitan style.
11. 11Carefully slide the parchment paper with the pizza onto the preheated pizza stone (or directly onto the oven rack if using a baking sheet). Bake at 500°F until the crust edges turn golden brown and the cheese bubbles, about 12 to 14 minutes.
12. 12Remove the pizza from the oven using tongs or a peel, gripping the parchment paper. Slide the pizza onto a cutting board and let cool for 1 minute so the cheese sets slightly.
13. 13Scatter the 0.25 cup fresh basil leaves over the hot pizza, tearing them by hand as you place them. Serve immediately—the pizza is best eaten within minutes of baking.