Caprese Salad Pizza

Caprese Salad Pizza : Adapted from Nicola Graimes’, Whole Foods with recipes for health & healing

Ingredients:

Topping

• 2/3 cup fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced
• 2 heirloom tomatoes, sliced

Pizza Crust

• 1 cup bread flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp rapid rise dried yeast
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2/3 cup warm water

Basil oil

• 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

1. For dough, place flour salt and yeast in a bowl. Make a well in the center and add oil and warm water. Mix to form a soft dough.
2. Turn out the dough on to a lightly floured work surface and knead for 5 minutes. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Leave dough in a warm place for 45 minutes until doubled in size.
3. Preheat oven to 425F.
4. Knead the risen dough lightly and roll out to form any crust shape or size to your liking. Place dough on a lightly oiled baking sheet or pizza stone.
5. Push the edges of dough to form a shallow, even rim. Bake for 10 minutes.
6. Remove pizza crust from oven.
7. Prepare basil oil by blanching fresh basil leaves for 10 seconds in hot water and immediately cooling it in a ice bath. Squeeze out water from blanched basil leaves. Add it into a blender with remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.
8. Spoon basil oil onto half-baked crust base. Top it with sliced mozzarella and heirloom tomatoes. Sprinkle with some salt & black pepper before baking it for another 10 to 15 minutes or until crisp and golden.
9. Garnish with some fresh basil leaves and serve immediately.