🇮🇹 Italian · Pizza
🍕 Pizza Margherita
Pizza Margherita
The archetypal Neapolitan pizza, its red tomato, white mozzarella, and green basil said to echo the Italian flag, built on a chewy, blistered crust from a long, slow-fermented dough.
True Neapolitan pizza is defined as much by its dough as its toppings — a long, cool fermentation develops flavor and digestibility, and the dough is stretched by hand, never rolled, before a scorching-hot bake gives it those signature leopard-spotted char bubbles.
Ingredients
Equipment: Large mixing bowl, Pizza stone or steel, Pizza peel
- 500 g (4 cups) 00 flour or bread flour
- 325 ml (1⅓ cups) water, room temperature
- 10 g (1¾ tsp) fine sea salt
- 2 g (½ tsp) active dry yeast
- 400 g (14 oz) canned San Marzano tomatoes, crushed by hand
- 250 g (9 oz) fresh mozzarella, torn into pieces
- Fresh basil leaves
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Salt, to taste
Method
- Dissolve the yeast in the water, then gradually mix in the flour and salt to form a shaggy dough.
- Knead for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic, then place in an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise at room temperature for 2 hours.
- Divide into 4 balls, shape each into a tight round, and refrigerate covered for at least 8 hours, ideally 24, for a slow, flavor-developing ferment.
- Remove the dough from the fridge 1–2 hours before baking to come to room temperature.
- Preheat the oven with a pizza stone or steel to its highest setting, at least 250°C (480°F), for a full hour.
- Stretch one dough ball by hand into a round, leaving a slightly thicker border for the crust.
- Spread a thin layer of crushed tomatoes over the base, season lightly with salt, and dot with torn mozzarella.
- Slide the pizza onto the hot stone using a peel and bake for 6–10 minutes until the crust is puffed and charred in spots.
- Remove, top with fresh basil leaves and a drizzle of olive oil, and serve immediately.
Chef Tips
- A long, cold fermentation (24+ hours) develops far more flavor and a lighter, more digestible crust than a same-day dough.
- Get the oven and stone as hot as possible — home ovens struggle to match pizzeria wood-fired temperatures, so maximum heat and a long preheat help close the gap.
- Add basil after baking, not before, so it stays vibrant rather than wilting and blackening in the intense heat.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Overloading the pizza with toppings, which prevents the center from cooking through and crisping properly.
- Skipping the long fermentation, resulting in a denser, less flavorful crust.
- Using a cold oven or insufficient preheat time, leaving the crust pale and undercooked rather than properly charred.
Nutrition (per serving)
Health Benefits
- A good source of calcium from the mozzarella and lycopene from the tomatoes.
Cultural Note
Pizza Margherita is popularly said to have been created in 1889 in honor of Queen Margherita of Savoy, its colors deliberately echoing the Italian flag, though its true origins likely predate this famous story.
Storage & Serving
Storage: Best eaten fresh; leftover pizza keeps refrigerated for up to 2 days.
Reheating: Reheat in a hot skillet or oven to help re-crisp the crust; microwaving leaves it soggy.
Serve with: A simple green salad, Chilled Italian lager or a light red wine