I’m going to make a bold claim. This Margherita pizza recipe is probably the most delicious meal I’ve cooked on my Kamado to date. Yes, it’s seriously that good.
Everyone loves pizza. There’s no doubt about that. Hell, give me a cold beer and pretty much anything from Papa Johns (even leftovers!) and I’m a happy camper. Even frozen pizza, you’ll rarely hear me complain as long as there’s meat, cheese, and tomato sauce involved.
This particular Margherita pizza recipe, however, changes the game entirely. Instead of a preservative-laden and / or frozen mass of dough and mystery meat, this (from scratch!) Margherita pizza recipe features only fresh ingredients (minus the canned whole tomatoes) which are brilliantly highlighted by the wood-fired taste of the Kamado that we all know and love.
There’s just something perfect about the simplistic marriage of tomatoes, onions, mozzarella and basil. Save the Philly Cheese steak or Buffalo Chicken pizza gimmicks for the frat parties; this recipe is all about appreciating subtle, simple, and fresh flavors…the way pizza was originally intended to be eaten.
As far as I’m concerned, this pizza is quite literally, a little slice of Italian heaven.
And quite possibly the best aspect of this particular Margherita pizza recipe is that despite its draw being the fresh and flavorful ingredients, this one reheats amazingly well. Simply pop a couple slices into the microwave for 30 seconds or so and you won’t believe how much flavor was retained.
Enjoy…and as always, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this recipe if you’ve had a chance to make it. Makes sure to leave your thoughts, comments, tweaks, etc. in the comments below!
- 1 envelope of active, dry yeast (.25 oz)
- 2.5 cups of all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 1 cup of warm water
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 white onion, sliced
- 1 sprig parsley, chopped
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1-1/2 cups canned whole peeled tomatoes
- Freshly ground black pepper and salt
- 3 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced thin
- 8 fresh basil leaves
- In a medium-sized bowl, combine the yeast and sugar into the warm water and let sit for approximately 10 minutes, so the yeast has time to activate. Begin cooking sauce during this time
- After 10 minutes have passed, mix in the flour, salt, and oil. Feel free to use your hands as the dough will begin to get thick. You want to ensure all ingredients combine so that you end up with one, homogeneous dough ball. Set the dough ball inside the bowl set aside for 5 minutes
- After 5 minutes have passed, lightly flour a large cutting board (or your counter) and gently start working the dough ball into a large pancake shape, slowly increasing the circumference until you have your desired pizza size
- In a 10-inch skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium high. Sauté onion and parsley until golden, then stir in garlic and oregano. Add tomatoes and crush them as they go into the pan (do not substitute crushed tomatoes). Boil, stirring, 5 minutes or until thick.
- Fire up your Kamado grill, aiming for a temperature of 650F. Place pizza stone such that it is at even height with the opening of the grill
- Back inside, carefully place the pizza dough onto a pizza peel sprinkled with cornmeal
- Lightly sauce the pizza with the Margherita sauce, being careful to not use too much of the liquid and instead, opting for more of the whole tomatoes
- Once sauced, add mozzarella
- Place the pizza into your Kamado once it has reached 650F and cook for approximately 18 minutes or until crust has reached desired firmness. Place basil leaves on pizza 15 minutes into cook time
- Remove pizza from Kamado and let sit for ten minutes to cool
- Slice, serve, and enjoy!
- Before adding the mozzarella, dry it as well as you can to reduce the overall weight and the likelihood that it will cause water to pool on the surface of the pizza.
- If water does begin to accumulate on the surface of the pizza while it's cooking, use a wad of paper towels to soak it up.
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