Pizza with Tomatoes, Mozzarella and Basil

Place a pizza stone or unglazed terra-cotta tiles on the lowest rack of an oven. Preheat to 500 degrees F.

Place the ball of dough on a lightly floured pizza peel or rimless baking sheet. Sprinkle a little more flour on the top of the dough and, using your fingertips, press evenly into a round, flat disk about 1 1/2 inches thick and 5 inches in diameter. Lift the dough and gently stretch it with your fingers and then over the backs of your fists, using the weight of the dough to allow it to grow in size. While you are stretching the dough, gently rotate the disk. Continue stretching and rotating the dough until it is about 1/4 inch thick and 9 inches in diameter and has a rim about 1/2 inch thick. Try not to let the center of the disk become too thin in comparison to the edges. Dust the peel or baking sheet with more flour and gently lay the disk in the center.

Place the tomato-basil sauce in the center of the disk. Using the back of a spoon, gently spread the sauce over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border free of sauce. Lay the basil leaves atop the sauce and then arrange the mozzarella slices evenly over all.

Gently shake the peel or baking sheet back and forth to make sure the pizza has not stuck to it. If it has, gently lift off the stuck section and sprinkle a little more flour underneath. Using the peel or baking sheet like a large spatula, quickly slide the pizza onto the hot pizza stone or tiles.

Bake until the edges are golden and crisp, 8-9 minutes. Remove the pizza with a large metal spatula and slide it onto a dinner plate. Serve at once.