Cheese Pizza

Name: Cheese Pizza
Cook time: P0Y0M0DT0H10M0.000S
Total time: P0Y0M0DT2H15M0.000S
Yield: 1 pizza
Ingredients: All-purpose flour, for the surface; One 6-ounce ball pizza dough, at room temperature; 3 to 4 ounces low-moisture mozzarella, sliced; 1 tablespoon Sicilian (or regular dried) oregano (see Cook's Note); 1/2 cup marinara sauce, at room temperature; Olive oil, for topping, optional; Freshly grated Parmesan, for topping, optional

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Level: Easy

Total: 2 hr 15 min
Active: 10 min

Yield: 1 pizza

This plain pie tastes anything but basic. Start with my homemade pizza dough and marinara sauce recipes, so you can make this plus many more pizzas. I put the cheese down first to protect the dough from getting soggy from the sauce.

Level: Easy

Total: 2 hr 15 min
Active: 10 min

Yield: 1 pizza

Ingredients

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All-purpose flour, for the surface

One 6-ounce ball pizza dough, at room temperature

3 to 4 ounces low-moisture mozzarella, sliced

1 tablespoon Sicilian (or regular dried) oregano (see Cook's Note)

1/2 cup marinara sauce, at room temperature

Olive oil, for topping, optional

Freshly grated Parmesan, for topping, optional

Directions

Special equipment:

pizza stone

Place a pizza stone in the center rack of the oven. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F for 1 to 2 hours before you're ready to bake the pizza to get the stone nice and hot.
Generously sprinkle a flat work surface with flour. Use a rolling pin to stretch the dough into an 11-inch circle. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured pizza peel or unrimmed baking sheet so it can slide right onto the pizza stone in the oven. (I use the bottom of a baking sheet.)
Top with the mozzarella, sprinkle with the oregano, then gently spread the marinara sauce on top, leaving about a 1/2-inch border around the edges for the crust (my favorite part!).
Turn off the oven and turn on the broiler. Use the peel or baking sheet to slide the pizza onto the pizza stone. The heat from the stone will cook the bottom of the pizza and the boiler will char and cook the top, mimicking a Neapolitan pizza oven. Bake until the cheese is melted and the crust is evenly crisped, 5 to 6 minutes. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with Parmesan if desired. Slice the hot pizza and serve immediately.

Cook’s Note

To dry oregano at home, tie one 4-ounce bundle fresh organic oregano with butcher's twine and hang in the sun until brittle and crunchy to the touch, a few days. (Alternatively, you can place it on baking sheet lined with a wire rack and bake in a 200 degrees F oven for 4 to 6 hours.)