Who doesn’t like pizza? I actually know someone – my mom – but here in this household we all do… A LOT! We make pizza ourselves all the time. My kids love to help out; kneading the dough, rolling it out and garnishing their own pizza. Awesome! My favorite pizza at the moment is this Caprese pizza.
My go-to pizza dough recipe is up on the blog already here. It was time for a pizza series. What do you think about this cherry tomatoes, mozzarella and basil pizza with balsamic drizzle to kick off with?
When making pizza at home keep in mind a few things:
Hot oven
You can perfectly well make pizza at home. Just make sure to preheat your oven to the highest temperature your oven will go (mine reaches 250C/480F). A hot oven creates the perfect pizza crust.
Edges
When you have rolled out the dough for your pizza, spread out a thin layer of (homemade) tomato sauce. Just make sure you leave the edges free. This is to ensure a crispy pizza crust.
Don’t overstuff your pizza
This happens a lot when my kids garnish their own pizza; they put too many toppings on it. And that will make (the center of) the pizza soggy.
How I make this Caprese pizza?
I start preparing the dough an hour before I plan on putting the pizza in the oven. The dough needs to double in size which will take more or less that time. Kneading the dough well is important. For a detailed explanation about this and the dough recipe click here.
In the meantime I cut the cherry tomatoes in half and marinate them in some balsamic vinegar, olive oil and a sprinkle of oregano.
Once the dough has doubled in size, I divide it into 4 equal pieces and roll them out into pizza bottoms using a bit of flour to prevent the dough from sticking to the countertop and rolling pin.
To the pizza bottoms I add some tomato sauce and spread it out in a thin layer, making sure I keep the edges free so they can rise in the oven and become crispy with nice air pockets.
Now it is time for the topping ingredients. I drain the cherry tomatoes and divide them over the pizza. I either grated some mozzarella or cut small cubes and divide them over the pizza.
The pizza is baked in a hot oven for only 5-8 minutes. When it comes out crispy and bubbly I garnish the pizza with fresh basil leaves and drizzle some balsamic vinegar over it for extra depth of flavor.
Other great complimentary toppings are shaved parmesan and arugula which I throw on there often times as well.
This might just be my favorite pizza. I am in love with it (sorry Marc). I hope you like it too. It is
bursting with flavor – made with wholesome ingredients – easy to make – and so ridiculously delicious
Love to make pizza yourself as much as we do? This is my whole wheat pizza recipe. And with this tomato sauce every pizza will taste amazing! Or try our other pizzas, like this eggplant parmesan pizza, family sheet pan pizza, mini pizza buns, tortilla pizza and grilled peach prosciutto pizza.
Caprese pizza
Equipment
- Rolling pin
- Pizza plate (or just use a baking sheet)
Ingredients
- 1 whole wheat pizza dough (recipe yields 4 pizzas* See below in Notes)
- ½-¾ cup tomato sauce (I use my homemade oven roasted tomato sauce**… the flavor is just insane!)
- ½-¾ cup mozzarella (grated or cut in cubes)
- 1 lb cherry tomatoes (cut in half)
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar (to marinate the cherry tomatoes in)
- ⅛ cup olive oil (to marinate the cherry tomatoes in)
- 1 tsp dried oregano (to marinate the cherry tomatoes in)
- salt and pepper (to marinate the cherry tomatoes in)
Garnishing:
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves
- 4-8 tbsp balsamic vinegar (drizzle over the pizza)
- 1 cup arugula (optional)
- 1 cup parmesan (crumbled or shaved)(optional)
Instructions
- Start by preparing the dough an hour before you plan on putting the pizza in the oven. The dough needs to double in size which will take more or less that time. For a detailed explanation about this and the dough recipe see Notes below*
- In the meantime cut the cherry tomatoes in half and marinate them in some balsamic vinegar, olive oil and a sprinkle of oregano. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 250C/480F or more.
- Once the dough has doubled in size, divide it into 4 equal pieces and roll them out into pizza bottoms using a bit of flour to prevent the dough from sticking to the rolling pin and the countertop.
- To the pizza bottoms add some tomato sauce and spread it out in a thin layer. Make sure to keep the edges free so they can rise in the oven and become crispy with nice air pockets.
- Drain the cherry tomatoes and divide them over the pizza bottoms. Either grate some mozzarella over them or cut small cubes and divide them over the pizzas.
- Bake the pizza for 5-8 minutes. Garnish the pizza when they come out of the oven with fresh basil leaves and drizzle some balsamic vinegar over it. Garnish the pizzas with additional toppings: shaved parmesan and arugula (optional)
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?
If you like this recipe, please consider rating it with the star rating system and leave a comment below – it’s so helpful for us and other readers. Thank you! And don’t forget to snap a picture if you make this and tag @familicious.kitchen on Instagram and hashtag it #familicious. Awesome! You can also find us on Facebook and Pinterest.
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