Pizza With Tomatoes, Mozzarella and Basil

This is the Neopolitan model for pizza, with a thicker, chewier crust topped by tomato, basil and lots of oozy, slightly tangy, extremely fresh buffalo mozzarella. From Food & Wine, May 2005. If you're making this ahead of time, the cooked tomatoes can be refrigerated overnight.

• Ready In: 1 hr 10 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1  tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 1 (28 ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained and chopped
•  salt
• 1  lb  pizza dough, room-temperature
• 10  ounces buffalo mozzarella, thinly sliced
• 16  basil leaves, torn

Directions

1. Put a pizza stone on the oven floor and preheat the oven to 500 degrees, allowing at least 45 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, heat the 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
3. Add the tomatoes and cook over high heat, stirring a few times, until slightly thickened, about 4 minutes- Season with salt.
4. Cut the pizza dough into 4 pieces and pat each one into a disk.
5. Transfer the disk to a floured baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 20 minutes.
6. On a lightly floured work surface, roll 1 disk of dough into a 9-inch round.
7. Transfer it to a floured pizza peel or flat cookie sheet.
8. Spoon about 1/4 cup of the tomatoes over the dough.
9. Top with 1/4 of the mozzarella and drizzle with olive oil.
10. Slide the pizza onto the hot stone and bake for about 4 minutes, or until browned around the edges and bubbling.
11. Transfer the pizza to a work surface and sprinkle with 4 basil leaves.
12. Cut it into 4 wedges and serve immediately.
13. Repeat with the remaining pizza dough, tomatoes, cheese, olive oil and basil.