Quick and Easy Margherita Pizza

A crowd-pleasing classic (and easy!) pizza gets a delicious update with a simple balsamic glaze.

Quick and Easy Margherita Pizza

Yield

1 8-slice pizza

Difficulty

Beginner

Prep Time

17 minutes

Bake Time

13 minutes

Proof Time

10 minutes

Total Time

40 minutes

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Ingredients

  • For the Crust:
  • 1-¾ - 2-¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 envelope Fleischmann's® RapidRise® Instant Yeast (2-¼ teaspoons)
  • 1-½ teaspoons sugar
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • ⅔ cup very warm water (120-130ºF)
  • 3 tablespoons oil,

  • For the Toppings:
  • ½ cup pizza sauce
  • 4 ounces mozzarella cheese, sliced or torn into 1-inch pieces
  • ½ teaspoon Herbes de Provence or Italian seasoning blend
  • 2 tomatoes, thinly sliced
  • 2-3 tablespoons balsamic glaze store-bought OR see below for recipe
  • Fresh basil leaves
  • Coarse sea salt
  • Freshly cracked black pepper,

  • For the Balsamic Glaze:
  • 1 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 4 tablespoons honey
  • ¼ teaspoon salt

Directions

  1. For the Crust:
  2. Preheat oven to 400ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  3. In a large bowl whisk together 1-¾ cup flour, yeast, sugar, and salt.
  4. Add water and oil and mix until ingredients come together into a sticky ball.
  5. Knead on a floured surface, adding more flour periodically as needed, until smooth and elastic (4-5 minutes). Allow to rest for 10 minutes.
  6. For the Balsamic Glaze:
  7. While dough is resting, prepare the balsamic glaze by adding balsamic vinegar to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and boil for 6-10 minutes until reduced to half the original volume. Remove from heat, stir in honey and salt. Transfer to a bowl and allow to cool and thicken.
  8. For Assembling & Baking Pizza:
  9. Roll or pat dough into a 12-inch circle on the parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Pinch edges to create a ½-inch crust around the edges of the dough.
  10. Spread sauce over the crust (leave the edges without toppings). Arrange cheese all over the pizza, followed by tomato slices. Sprinkle Herbes de Provence over the top.
  11. Bake in preheated oven for 12-15 minutes until cheese is bubbly and crust is golden-brown.
  12. Just out of the oven, top the pizza with fresh basil, coarse sea salt and cracked black pepper, and a hearty drizzle of balsamic glaze. Slice and serve.

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