Who doesn't love a classic Caprese Pizza with tomatoes, mozzarella, and fresh basil? Homemade garlic-herb "beer bread" crust makes this recipe even better, but you can also use any other type of pizza dough you like.
What's your favorite pizza? This Italian Caprese-inspired pie is one of my personal go-to's. Sweet tomatoes, gooey cheese, and fresh basil. It doesn't get any better...until you put it all on top of a homemade Garlic Herb Crust.
I've been experimenting with pizza dough recipes for awhile now, and this one, which is inspired by beer bread, is my personal favorite. I've made it dozens of times at home, ever since I found the basic dough recipe in a cookbook.
Besides the beer, another easy way to jazz up a basic pizza dough recipe is to add herbs and spices. So while the toppings for this pizza are pretty simple, this dough has garlic powder, onion powder, and oregano to add another element of flavor into the mix.
Ingredients
Garlic Herb "Beer Bread" Pizza Dough Ingredients:
- All-purpose flour
- Instant yeast - To make the dough rise.
- Oregano - For the herb flavor.
- Garlic powder and onion powder - For more flavor.
- Beer - Any kind you like to drink works.
- Oil - Use grapseed oil, olive oil, or canola oil depending on what you have on hand.
- Salt - I like kosher.
Caprese Pizza Ingredients:
- Pizza dough - One half-pound portion makes a 12-inch pie
- Tomato sauce - I use canned tomato sauce. If you have a jarred pizza sauce in your pantry, feel free to swap it in here.
- Sliced tomatoes - Use any mix of regular, heirloom, and/or cherry tomatoes.
- Fresh mozzarella cheese - It has a softer, more delicate texture than regular mozzarella.
- Torn basil leaves - Fresh is definitely best for this recipe!
How to Make Garlic Herb "Beer Bread" Pizza Dough
The first step is preparing the dough. Start with the dry ingredients. Stir flour, oregano, instant yeast, garlic powder, salt, and onion powder in a large bowl.
Then add the liquid ingredients. Pour in the beer and grapeseed oil and mix until a uniform dough forms. You can add a little more flour as needed, but it's better for the dough to be slightly sticky than too dry.
Once the dough is mixed, cover the bowl and let it rest on the counter for two hours, or until the dough doubles in size.
Then, transfer the dough to a floured work surface and divide it into two equal pieces. Each of these portions makes one 12-inch pizza. Use the dough immediately, or wrap up the portions. They'll last in the fridge for up to three days and you can also freeze pizza dough for up to three months.
How to Make Caprese Pizza
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit with your pizza stone inside (if you have one). Roll out one portion of pizza dough on a floured work surface to a 12-inch diameter.
Once the oven is preheated, remove the pizza stone and lay the rolled out pizza dough on top. (If you don't have a pizza stone, use a baking sheet for this step instead.)
Spread tomato sauce evenly on the dough, leaving a little bit of space around the edges for the crust. Arrange tomato and mozzarella slices on top and bake 15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and golden brown.
Remove the pizza from the oven and spread fresh basil on top. Slice into pieces and serve with crushed red pepper.
Can you make homemade pizza dough ahead of time? What's the best way to store leftovers?
You can prep the pizza dough months in advance if you want to. Wrap and refrigerate prepared pizza dough for up to three days or freeze it for up to three months.
Once cooked, you can keep leftover pizza in an airtight container and refrigerate it for up to four days or freeze for up to two months.
Potential Caprese Pizza Ingredient Substitutions:
- If you don't have fresh tomatoes, substitute sun-dried tomatoes instead.
- If you don't have fresh basil, substitute baby spinach or arugula. Toss leaves with oil and vinegar before adding them to the pizza if desired.
- If you don't have grapeseed oil, use canola oil or any neutral-tasting cooking oil.
A classic Caprese Pizza topped with tomatoes, mozzarella, and fresh basil. Use homemade garlic-herb "beer bread" crust or any other type of pizza dough you like.
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon dry oregano
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 12 ounces beer
- 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
- ½ pound Garlic Herb Pizza Dough, room temperature (½ portion, see note)
- ½ cup tomato sauce
- 1 cup sliced tomatoes (see note)
- 5 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced
- ¼ cup fresh basil, torn
- Crushed red pepper for serving, optional
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Stir flour, oregano, yeast, garlic powder, salt, and onion powder in a large bowl.
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Pour in beer and grapeseed oil and mix until uniform dough forms. (It's better for the dough to be slightly sticky than dry.)
-
Cover the dough and let it rest on the countertop 2 hours, or until doubled in size.
-
Once doubled in size, transfer the dough to a floured surface and divide into two equal pieces. Use the dough immediately, or wrap and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
-
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit with the pizza stone inside, if using.
-
Roll out one portion of pizza dough on a floured work surface to a 12-inch diameter.
-
Once the oven is preheated, remove the pizza stone and lay the pizza dough on top. (If you don't have a pizza stone, use a baking sheet instead.)
-
Spread tomato sauce evenly on the dough, leaving a half-inch of space around the edges for the crust. Arrange tomatoes and mozzarella slices on top of the tomato sauce and transfer the pizza to the oven. Bake 15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and golden brown.
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Remove the pizza from the oven and spread fresh basil on top. Cut into pieces and serve with crushed red pepper if desired.
Garlic Herb Pizza Dough recipe makes 1 pound of pizza dough, which is enough for two 12-inch pizzas. To substitute, use ½ pound of your favorite pizza dough or a store-bought 12-inch pizza crust instead.
Use any mix of regular, heirloom, and/or cherry tomatoes.
Store leftover pizza in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 2 months.
Pizza crust recipe adapted from Half Baked Harvest Super Simple Cookbook.
Looking for More Homemade Pizza Recipes?
Try these:
- Vegan Blackberry Pesto Pizza
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts Pizza with Cranberries and Goat Cheese
- Vegan Mushroom and Caramelized Onion Naan Pizzas
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Did You Make This Caprese Pizza Recipe?
Rate the recipe and leave a comment below, or tag me (@GratefulGrazer) if you share on Instagram!
This post was most recently updated on 9/3/2020.
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