There’s a reason why Margherita pizza remains a timeless favorite. This dish, originating in Naples, Italy, showcases the beauty of fresh, high-quality ingredients coming together in perfect harmony. Today, we celebrate this culinary masterpiece with a classic Margherita pizza recipe that’s easy to follow and guaranteed to impress. It boasts a minimalist approach, featuring a base of fluffy pizza dough, a vibrant tomato sauce, creamy mozzarella cheese, and a final flourish of fresh basil leaves. While seemingly simple, the quality of each ingredient shines through, creating a symphony of flavors and textures.
Ingredients:
- For the Dough:
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup water (warm)
- 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
- 1 pinch white sugar
- ¼ cup flour for dusting
- For the Toppings:
- 2 cups pizza sauce (high-quality canned or homemade)
- 20 slices fresh mozzarella cheese (thinly sliced)
- 20 fresh basil leaves (whole or roughly torn)
- Olive oil
- Sea salt (to taste)
- Activate the Yeast: In a small bowl, combine warm water, yeast, and sugar. Let this mixture sit for 5-10 minutes, or until it becomes foamy and active.
- Mix the Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt.
- Combine Wet and Dry: Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the activated yeast mixture. Using a spoon or your hands, gently combine the wet and dry ingredients until a shaggy dough forms.
- Knead for Smoothness: Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes, or until smooth and elastic. You can also use a stand mixer with a dough hook for this step.
- Rise and Shine: Place the dough in a large bowl greased with olive oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm spot for 1-2 hours, or until doubled in size.
- Preheat Your Oven: While the dough rises, preheat your oven to its highest setting (ideally around 450°F to 500°F) If using a pizza stone, preheat it in the oven as well for at least 30 minutes.
- Shape the Dough: On a lightly floured surface, gently stretch or roll the dough into a 10-12 inch circle. You can use your hands or a rolling pin for this step.
- Transfer and Top: Carefully transfer the stretched dough to a pizza peel dusted with cornmeal or flour. Spread a thin layer of pizza sauce, leaving a 1-inch border around the edge.
- Cheese Time: Top the sauce with evenly distributed slices of mozzarella cheese.
- Freshness Burst: Drizzle the pizza with a little olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt to taste. Right before baking, garnish with whole or roughly torn fresh basil leaves.
- Bake to Perfection: Slide the pizza onto the preheated pizza stone (or baking sheet) and bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is bubbly and melted.
- Slice and Savor: Remove the pizza from the oven and let it cool slightly before slicing and serving.
- Use high-quality ingredients, especially the mozzarella cheese. Fresh mozzarella with a milky flavor and soft texture is ideal.
- If you don’t have a pizza stone, you can bake the pizza on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. However, a pizza stone will give you a crispier crust.
- Experiment with different types of flour for the dough. Bread flour can create a chewier crust, while all-purpose flour offers a good balance of chew and crisp.
- Feel free to adjust the amount of toppings to your preference.
With this recipe and a little love, you’ll be creating restaurant-worthy Margherita pizzas in no time. Enjoy this taste of Italian simplicity and celebrate the beauty of fresh, flavorful ingredients!
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