Neapolitan Style Margherita Pizza

How do I spend a rainy afternoon with my 6 month old granddaughter?  I take her to a winery of course.☔️🤣  Not to worry - no wine was consumed but the two of us did have a nice stroll around the Montaluce vineyards. (Well, I walked and she napped.😴)  Wandering through the streets of the small community and winery felt like we were strolling through vineyards in Tuscany.🍇 

Being surrounded by all of the Italian architecture and landscape had me craving pizza by the end of my walk so of course, I stopped by the Trattoria and picked up a pizza for lunch.  I mean - I'm pretty sure I burned a whole pies worth of calories on my walk. 🤣🍕  Best carry out pizza in Georgia - hands down.  

It's probably a good thing that I don't live closer to the Trattoria because the temptation to order pizza on a regular basis is real.😂   I decided that I would try and recreate the amazing pizza at home - using my Big Green Egg as my make shift pizza oven.  This Cooks Illustrated inspired Neapolitan Style Margherita Pizza recipe is about as close as I've been able to get to Montaluce Trattoria pizza.  

​I'm not sure if everyone gets pizza cravings or it's just me but if you do - you will want to save this recipe in your email.  It's guaranteed to make you feel like you're dining at a piazza in Italy.  

Neapolitan Style Margherita Pizza
​Flour Paste
​1/3 cup water
2 Tablespoons 00 flour

Dough
1 1/2 cups + 2 Tablespoons water
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoons yeast
4 cups + 2 Tablespoons 00 flour

 Sauce
28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon salt

Pizza
1/3 cup Pecorino Romano cheese
8 ounces fresh mozzarella
fresh basil

Flour Paste:  Whisk together water and flour.  Microwave 30 seconds, stir and microwave another 30 seconds. 

Dough: Add 1/2 cup water to flour paste. Transfer to a large bowl.  

Whisk in salt, sugar and 1 c + 2 T. water.

Whisk in yeast and let sit 30 seconds. 

Fold in flour until you get a shaggy dough.  Cover and let rest 20 minutes. 

Knead 8 times.  Cover and let rise 1 1/2 hours. 

Divide dough into 4 pieces. 

Roll each piece into a ball and place on greased baking sheet. 

Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate 18-36 hours. 

Sauce:  Stir together tomatoes and salt. 

1 hour before baking, remove dough, pecorino and mozzarella from refrigerator.  

Working with 1 dough ball at a time, transfer to counter floured with 00 flour and press into a 7" circle. 

Use fingers to stretch dough to a 8 or 9" disk with a 1" rim around the outside. 

Make a fist with 1 hand.  Drape dough over fist.  

Use 2 fists to gently stretch dough to 11" round.  Lay on floured peel.  

Spread 2 T. sauce over dough.  

Sprinkle with 1/4 of pecorino.  

Place 1/4 of mozzarella over sauce.  

Slide pizza onto a heated pizza stone on grill.  Bake until pizza is spotty brown.  

Ciao!

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