Pizza Alla Marinara

American Pie; Peter Reinhart

• Ready In: 1 hr 18 mins
• Yields: 2 nine-inch pizzas

Ingredients

• 2  lbs  pizza dough (enough to make two 9-inch pizzas, Neapolitan pizza dough)
•  unbleached all-purpose flour, for dusting the peel (or cornmeal or semolina flour)
• 1  cup  crushed tomato sauce (Crushed Tomato Sauce)
• 4  garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1⁄4 cup  freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese (romano, asiago, or other dry aged cheese)
• 2  tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1  teaspoon dried oregano (or 2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano)

Directions

1. Place a baking stone on the middle shelf of the oven; preheat oven to highest setting for at least 1 hour.
2. Flour work surface and hands; shape dough ball on counter; transfer it to flour-dusted pizza peel.
3. Spread ½ cup of tomato sauce over the surface of the dough, leaving ¼ inch border.
4. Spread half the garlic over the sauce, then top with 2 tablespoons grated cheese.
5. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over the surface, spiraling it from the center.
6. Sprinkle half the oregano over the top.
7. Carefully slide the pizza from the peel onto the baking stone; bake 7-9 minutes.
8. When it is done, the crust should be puffy and slightly charred on the edge and thinner in the center.
9. The underside of the crust should be brown and crisp, not white and soft.
10. Remove pizza from oven and serve it whole (usually 1 pizza per person). or let it cool for about 2 minutes before slicing and serving.
11. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to make the second pizza.