Pizza Perfection c/o Gwyneth Paltrow

I first started making pizza about a year ago, relying first on Mark Bittman's recipe in How To Cook Everything and then this past winter I started using the pizza recipe found in Baking Illustrated. Both books had really clear instructions that were perfect for a beginner, and, as they are essentially the same recipe (the only difference is in the measurements; one yields more dough than the other), I wouldn't necessarily recommend one over the other.

But in the dozen or so times I've made pizza, there was always something missing. I knew that whatever was missing could take the pizza from really good to fantastico, and I was pretty sure that it was in the crust, but I just couldn't put my finger on it. That is, until I came across Gwyneth's Goop newsletter on making pizza. All this time I thought maybe it just needed more garlic or different herbs. Nope. What's been missing? Sugar.

So last night, after adding 1.5 tbsp of organic cane sugar to my regular recipe and using Gwyneth's recipe for tomato sauce, I made the perfect margarita pizza.

You can always tell if a pizza is good if even the simplest of toppings makes for a transformative eating experience. With some good mozzarella cheese, tomato sauce and fresh basil, this pizza brought me back to Italy. Now all I need is to get my hands on an ice cream maker and make this - it will almost be as good as a trip to Italy...

For G.P.'s pizza sauce and instructions visit GOOP's Newsletter on Pizza