Labor day is a turning point; when we switch our thinking from picnics to packed school lunches. But, it is also the time when the summer fruits are busting out their last hurrah and the tomatoes are in their peak glory. This Pizza is an ode to my dad’s garden and the bounty of tomatoes and squash that he grew. He is a magnificent gardener and this pizza needed nothing more than olive oil, a dash of salt and fresh herbs to be magnificent. I threw on a bit of mozzarella to satisfy the children.

I made the pizza Dough from Artisan Pizza and Flatbread in Five Minutes a Day, using bread flour from a local miller, Bakersfield Flour and Bread, but you can use all-purpose or bread flour that you have on hand. It is fun to experiment with all kinds of flours and pizza dough is just the place, since it is so forgiving. You can watch me toss this dough in the air (there is a cameo appearance by my poodle, Miles) in our @breadin5 Instagram video.

Tomato Pizza

8 ounces pizza dough from any of our books

1/3 cup pesto

4-6 fresh tomatoes, depending on the size

Squash blossoms, if you have them

Drizzle of olive oil

Sprinkle of salt

Fresh herbs

2 ounces mozzarella cheese (optional)

Preheat oven with Pizza Stone or Baking Steel to 550°F or as hot as it will go.

Roll and toss the dough into a 12-inch disk and place it on a Pizza Peel dusted with cornmeal.

Top the dough with the pesto, tomatoes, squash blossoms, cheese, salt, oil, and herbs.

Slide the pizza onto preheated stone and bake until crust is caramelized and crisp.

Cool for a couple of minutes before slicing.