Mini Pizzas with Italian Plum Tomatoes, Red Onions, and Basil

Pizza Dough
- ½ envelope active dry yeast (1¼ teaspoon)
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ¾ cup warm (105° to 115°F) water
- 1¾ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup semolina
- 1½ teaspoons fine sea salt
- About 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil for oiling the bowl and brushing on pizzas
- 2 ounces part-skim mozzarella cheese, grated
- 2 vine-ripened Italian plum tomatoes, peeled and sliced
- ½ red onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup lightly packed whole fresh basil leaves
Instructions:
Colorful mini pizzas make a perfect meal any time of year. You can vary the toppings according to what’s available in season, but my favorite combination is ripe plum tomatoes, red onion, and fresh basil from the garden. Serve the pizzas with a simple side salad of mixed baby greens dressed with a sprinkling of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon, and a pinch of sea salt.
- In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
- Combine the flour, semolina, and sea salt either by hand or in a heavy-duty electric mixer with a bread hook, and add the yeast mixture. Mix well until the dough is smooth. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and no longer sticky. Shape into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover and set aside for 30 minutes or until dough has doubled in volume.
- Punch dough down. Divide the dough into 4 equal balls. Roll out each ball to a thickness of ½ inch. Place them on a lightly floured baking sheet. Cover and set aside for 15 minutes.
- Place a pizza stone on the center rack of the oven and preheat oven to 450°F. Meanwhile, flatten the center of each pizza with your fingers until you have a disk measuring 7 inches across, leaving a ¼ -inch area around the perimeter unflattened. Brush the flattened areas with a little olive oil. Sprinkle the grated mozzarella cheese onto each pizza. Add a few slices of tomato and sprinkle with some of the diced red onion.
- Scatter some of the garlic slices and arrange the whole basil leaves on top. In batches, to accommodate the size and shape of your pizza stone, bake for 8 to 10 minutes on the stone or until the dough is firm and lightly browned.