The pizza that all the others are named after: San Marzano tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, a basil leaf and a splash of olive oil on Perfect pizza dough. It can’t get simpler, and it doesn’t get better.
Pizza margherita
Region: Campania
Pizza margherita
Region: Campania
Method
01
Preheat the oven
Heat the oven as hot as possible (250–300 °C), preferably with a pizza stone or steel that heats up for at least 45 minutes.
02
Tomato sauce
Crush the tomatoes roughly with a fork, season with a pinch of sea salt and, if you like, the garlic. Don't cook it; this sauce only cooks in the oven.
03
Stretch
Rub your hands with flour or olive oil and carefully press and stretch the ball out with your fingertips to a round base of approx. 30 cm, working from the inside out and leaving the edge slightly thicker for the cornicione (the puffed-up crust edge).
04
Top
Spread the tomato sauce thinly over the dough, to close to the edge. Distribute the mozzarella over it and drizzle with a splash of olive oil.
05
Bake
Slide the pizza onto the hot stone or plate and bake for 5–8 minutes (on a pizza stone at 300 °C this can be as little as 90 seconds to a few minutes), until the crust is spotted golden brown and the cheese bubbles.
06
Finish
Take out of the oven, lay the basil leaves on top (they burn otherwise) and drizzle with another splash of olive oil.
07
Serve
Serve immediately, cut into wedges or whole with a knife and fork, as is customary in Naples.
Tips & notes
Don't top it too heavily or too wet; too much tomato or cheese gives a limp, soggy pizza that doesn't cook through in the middle. San Marzano tomatoes are sweeter and less watery than ordinary tinned tomatoes, and you really notice the difference. Pizza is best straight from the oven; keep leftovers in the fridge for a maximum of 1 day and reheat them in a hot oven.
Variations
- Add anchovies, capers and black olives for a pizza alla napoletana.
- Leave out the tomato and use only mozzarella, olive oil and fresh rocket after baking for a pizza bianca.
Contains:
Gluten
Milk
Serve with
| Calories | 336 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 26 g |
| Carbohydrates | 7 g |
| Fat | 23 g |
| Fibre | 1 g |
Estimated values, calculated from standard nutritional values per ingredient.
