Equipment
* optional
Ingredients
Pizza Base
- 250 g pizza dough, room temperature
Garlic Oil
- 15 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic, minced
Toppings
- 200 g smoked mozzarella cheese, sliced
- 100 g oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 315 kcal
- Protein
- 22 g
- Carbohydrates
- 36 g
- Fat
- 9 g
- Fiber
- 3 g
- Sugar
- 1 g
- Sodium
- 442 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 1 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 3 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 0 g
- Cholesterol
- 9 mg
- Potassium
- 494 mg
- Calcium
- 498 mg
- Iron
- 1.0 mg
- Magnesium
- 39 mg
- Phosphorus
- 370 mg
- Zinc
- 2.0 mg
- Vitamin A
- 81 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 29 mg
- Vitamin E
- 0.6 mg
- Vitamin K
- 3 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.1 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.5 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.02 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.15 mg
- Niacin
- 0.1 mg
- Folate
- 5 mcg
- Water
- 32 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Place a pizza stone on the middle rack of the oven and preheat to 260 C / 500 F for at least 45 minutes to ensure it is thoroughly heated.
Using a cutting board and chef knife, mince the garlic, drain and chop the sun-dried tomatoes, and slice the smoked mozzarella.
In a small bowl, mix the extra virgin olive oil and minced garlic to create an aromatic base.
Gently stretch the room temperature pizza dough on a lightly floured surface or parchment paper into a 30-centimeter circle, leaving a slightly thicker edge for the crust.
Using a pastry brush or spoon, spread the garlic oil evenly over the stretched dough, avoiding the outer crust border.
Distribute the sliced smoked mozzarella and chopped sun-dried tomatoes evenly across the oiled base.
Transfer the pizza to the preheated baking stone using a pizza peel or inverted baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes at 260 C / 500 F.
Remove the pizza from the oven and let it rest on a cutting board for 5 minutes to allow the molten cheese to set slightly before slicing.
Chef's Notes
- If your sun-dried tomatoes are exceptionally oily, gently pat them with a paper towel before chopping to prevent a greasy pizza.
- Baking the pizza on parchment paper makes it significantly easier to transfer to the oven if you do not have a professional pizza peel. You can slide the parchment directly onto the baking stone.
- Smoked mozzarella melts beautifully but can release slightly less moisture than fresh mozzarella. The garlic oil base compensates for this, keeping the pie lush and flavorful without tomato sauce.
- To elevate the visual appeal and add freshness, scatter torn fresh basil or a pinch of red pepper flakes over the pizza immediately after it comes out of the oven.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store slices in an airtight container or wrapped tightly.
Freezer: 1 month — Wrap individual slices in parchment and foil before freezing.
Reheating: Reheat in a dry skillet over medium heat until the crust is crisp, or in a 175 C oven for 5-8 minutes.
Troubleshooting
Pizza dough springs back and resists stretching
Cause: The gluten is too tight, often because the dough is too cold or was recently handled
Fix: Cover the dough with a damp towel, let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes to relax the gluten, then try stretching again
Prevention: Allow the dough to rest at room temperature for at least 30 to 60 minutes before attempting to stretch
Soggy pizza center
Cause: Excess oil from the sun-dried tomatoes or a pizza stone that was not fully preheated
Fix: Return to the oven for 2-3 extra minutes on the bottom rack
Prevention: Thoroughly drain and pat dry oil-packed tomatoes, and ensure the oven and stone preheat for a full 45 minutes
Cultural Context
Traditional Italian pizza philosophy favors restraint, relying on a few high-quality ingredients rather than heavy layers of toppings. The use of smoked mozzarella, known in Italy as scamorza affumicata or provola, traces back to Southern Italian preservation methods where cheese was smoked over wood fires to extend its shelf life. This imparts a robust, rustic campfire flavor that balances beautifully with the intense, concentrated sweetness of pomodori secchi (sun-dried tomatoes), which historically gained their flavor drying on terracotta roofs beneath the fierce Mediterranean sun.
