Fresh basil for pizza baking!

[fuumarumota]

Just wanted to tell my experience using fresh basil straight from the garden. Yesterday I baked two pizzas, one with dry commercial basil and another with fresh basil. The difference is huge. The flavor and smell of the tomato sauce was incredible with the fresh one.

Try to use fresh ingredients, it's worth it!

 

[Becky]

There are few things better than tomatoes with fresh basil! Especially if you chuck in some fresh mozzarella too

 

[Esther Knapicius]

If I were wanting to use basil on pizza dough to bake. I would not do it either way. I would take the fresh basil and make a good pesto from it, with the walnuts (or pine nuts) the olive oil, and the cheese. then take the pesto and smear it on the dough evenly enough, then layering thin slices of fresh tomatoes on top. Possibly some thin slices of raw mushrooms (or not) and perhaps then some mozz cheese. then bake.

Also, if you are making your own pizza dough, you can need into the dough fresh basil also.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

There are few things better than tomatoes with fresh basil! Especially if you chuck in some fresh mozzarella too

Have to have really good olive oil for this too.

 

[atlmom5]

If I were wanting to use basil on pizza dough to bake. I would not do it either way. I would take the fresh basil and make a good pesto from it, with the walnuts (or pine nuts) the olive oil, and the cheese. then take the pesto and smear it on the dough evenly enough, then layering thin slices of fresh tomatoes on top. Possibly some thin slices of raw mushrooms (or not) and perhaps then some mozz cheese. then bake.

Also, if you are making your own pizza dough, you can need into the dough fresh basil also.

I put fresh basil on my homemade pizza dough and it is truly amazing! However, my family and I occasionally make a pizza with chicken and pesto pizza and it is truly delicious. When we don't have any fresh basil to make the pesto, we use spinach instead to make the pesto. I'm not really a big fan of chicken on pizza, but chicken with any kind of pesto is delicious on pizza.

 

[marlingardener]

Basil can be frozen to use in the "no-basil" months. I chop it fine, add just enough water to let it stick together, and freeze it in ice cube trays. The basil cubes are put in plastic bags and kept frozen until needed. I can pull out two or three cubes (each is about one tablespoon) and make pesto, add to soups, or even thaw and add to bread dough for extra taste. I usually make lots of spaghetti sauce and pizza sauce when the tomatoes are coming on in the summer, and that uses up quite a bit of fresh basil.
My favorite basil is Genovese, a large leaf Italian variety.

 

[Becky]

I put fresh basil on my homemade pizza dough and it is truly amazing! However, my family and I occasionally make a pizza with chicken and pesto pizza and it is truly delicious. When we don't have any fresh basil to make the pesto, we use spinach instead to make the pesto. I'm not really a big fan of chicken on pizza, but chicken with any kind of pesto is delicious on pizza.

Seconded! I love pizza with pesto instead of tomato. It's lovely with artichoke hearts too, if you ever get bored with chicken

 

[Esther Knapicius]

make the same here. basil ice cubes.

 

[IcyBC]

In the summer, if I have good basil growing, I dried them and crumbled them up to use as seasoning in my food. They hold their scent quite well, and I love fresh basil with my noodle soup most.

 

[mett1982]

I love putting fresh basil on everything. I love the taste of it. It is by far my favorite kind of herb. Fresh basil and fresh tomatoes from the garden is absolute divine. Now if you put some fresh red onion and mozzarella with that basil and tomatoes. Then you have one of the best salads known to man.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

my cheese man, during the summer will sell Buffalo Mozzarella, made from Buffalo milk, it is so so so good. I also love decorating my pizza with alternate slices of yellow and red tomatoes , just looks pretty.

 

[Corzhens]

My husband was gifted with basil on a small pot. The driver of his boss had a fancy on the basil and he thought my husband would appreciate it. The basil was replanted on the ground and we sometimes add chopped basil on omelets. But in the months to come, we didn't notice that the basil was dying. And now it is gone except for the small stump that remains on the ground. We still do not know why it died like that.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

speaking of Basil. ---- The only seed company I order from is John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds. In there they carry 10 types of Basil Seeds. That is just an example. Every veggie, herb, and some select flower seeds have lots of types of them offered. They offer 42 types of tomato seeds. (and that is a quick counting.)

 

[marlingardener]

Corzhens, you didn't do anything wrong with the basil. Basil is really an annual plant and won't live much more than a year. You can take cuttings from a basil and root them, and keep basil going that way, or just plant seeds--basil germinates easily and can be grown inside or out. I prefer outside, but right now I have two on my kitchen window sill.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

when I get a basil plant, I usually pot it up in a pretty pot. letting it be outside etc. trimming off the flower buds helps, then I can bring the pot inside later for a sunny window sill .