Margherita Pan Pizza

This week I was reading the latest issue of Cook’s Illustrated American Classics published by America’s Test Kitchen. What I love about America’s Test Kitchen and Cook’s Illustrated magazine is how the test cooks explain how and why certain recipes work and how to arrive at the best version of each. Better yet, they explain in a way that someone like me can duplicate the steps AND achieve the same results.

I’ve been making my own pizzas at home for a couple of years now with very satisfying results. In the issue I was reading, an article titled “Perfecting Pepperoni Pan Pizza” caught my eye. A thin crust baked on a pizza stone is usually my go-to homemade pizza of choice because pan pizzas are usually doughy and too greasy. But according to this article, their version of the recipe solved those problems.

I figured I’d give it the recipe a try – with some modifications. I’m a big fan of Craig Priebe’s method of grilling pizza. One of my favorite recipes of his is The Margheritan. Rather than go with pepperoni, I decided to top my pan pizza Margheritan-style. Aside from the use of fresh mozzarella and fresh basil, I followed the Cook’s Illustrated recipes for Pepperoni Pan Pizza (minus the pepperoni) and Basic Pizza Sauce.

Shown here are my finished pizzas. They were DELICIOUS.