Fresh Mozzarella And Basil Pizza

Bring your homemade pizza to the next level by incorporating fresh ingredients. If you don't have time to prepare your own fresh dough, some supermarkets sell uncooked pizza dough on request from the bakery department.

Ingredients:

• 1 (4-ounce) portion Pizza Dough
• 1/2 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large plum tomato, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon sliced fresh basil
• 4 thin slices (2 ounces) fresh mozzarella
• 1 (1-ounce) slice country ham or smoked ham, cut into thin strips
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450°. Shape Pizza Dough ball into a 6- to 8-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. (Dough doesn't need to be perfectly round.) Place dough on a piece of parchment paper. Fold up edges of dough, forming a 1-inch border. Brush oil evenly over dough using a pastry brush. (If you don't have a pastry brush, drizzle oil evenly over dough.)
2. Cover pizza dough circle loosely with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Heat pizza stone or heavy baking sheet 10 to 12 minutes in oven.
4. Remove and discard plastic wrap from dough. Layer tomato and next 3 ingredients evenly. Sprinkle with pepper. Carefully transfer dough on parchment paper to pizza stone.
5. Bake at 450° for 10 minutes or until crust is golden.

Note: Bake pizza on a pizza stone or heavy baking sheet that withstands high baking temperatures. (High heat makes the crust crispy.)

Source: Julie Johnson, Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, Southern Living
MARCH 2004