Pizza Margherita
I've decided to start with a basic, traditional, very old recipe and maybe the most famous Italian one: Pizza Margherita. Wow, I feel a little nervous... Hope you'll enjoy it.
I've decided to start with a basic, traditional, very old recipe and maybe the most famous Italian one: Pizza Margherita. Wow, I feel a little nervous... Hope you'll enjoy it.
- salt to taste
- salt and pepper to taste
- dough
- oregano to taste
- 800 g (3.5 cups) bread flour (0 flour)
- 1 dry yeast or fresh yeast
- 350 ml (1-1.5 cups) warm water
- margherita topping
- tomato sauce to taste and real italian, please!
- 250 g (8.5 oz) mozzarella shreded and squeezed to remove the milk
- basil to taste
- extra-virgin olive oil to taste
- Carbohydrate 92.390922 g
- Cholesterol 47.591575 mg
- Fat 16.79717625 g
- Fiber 4.27015011276305 g
- Protein 29.241156 g
- Saturated Fat 8.402910225 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (305g)
- Sodium 858.835225 mg
- Sugar 88.120771887237 g
- Trans Fat 1.872465 g
- Calories 644 calories
Step-by-step
- If you use the dry yeast, melt it in half glass of warm water, add 1 tsp of brown sugar, then wait about 10 minutes until the yeast froth. Or, if you use fresh yeast simply melt it in half glass of warm water.
- Put the flour with the salt in a large bowl or on a work surface and make a hole in the centre.
- Pour slowly the yeast with its water and then the rest of the water, always very slowly and inside the hole. Stir while pouring the water. In this first steps you can help yourself with a tablespoon for stirring.
- Now comes the sticky part! Are you ready for becoming covered with flour? Don't be afraid: this is the most difficult part but after the first attempts you will obtain a perfect dough. With your hands (my grandma used to wet her fingers frequently with water while stirring the flour. I think it's a good tip!) knead strongly the dough until it becomes elastic and smooth. No piece of dough must remain stuck to your fingers. In this step maybe you'll find useful to add flour in the case of a too sticky dough or water if the dough is too dry. The amount of water could change on several conditions such as room's temperature, season or kind of flour. Sooner or later after few attempts you will become a Pizza's hero!
- When you feel satisfied with your beloved dough, shape it like a ball. Now it's time to cover your bowl with a clean napkin and to put it in a warm and dark place at least for 2 hours or until it double the size (I usually put it in the turned-off oven). Remember that more you leaven the dough more you will easily digest your pizza. One tip: Italian tradition states that before putting one dough to leaven you have to engrave a cross with a knife on the surface of the dough ball. This might seem like a blessing for the old granny but actually it helps the dough to better leaven.
- The dough is ready to be used for your pizza. Now you should decide if you want to use all the dough (enough for 4 big serving size) or if you want to deep-freeze the half. In this last case remember that you have to use the frost dough in 1 month (put it in the fridge from the morning in order to obtain a slowly defrost, then in the afternoon put it in warm place to make it leaven again. Then use it as a fresh dough).
- Pre-heat the oven to about 220-250° C (430-480°F).
- Oil the oven tray with some Extra-virgin Olive Oil. Don't exaggerate with the oil but you have to grease well all the tray. You can use a square or a circular tray: it's up to you! I prefer the squared one.
- Flatten the dough in the tray with your hand helping yourself with some flour on your finger or with a rolling pin or with both. Cover with the flatten dough all the tray in a regular way as much as possible.
- Helping yourself with a tablespoon pour the tomato sauce on the pizza. Remember to cover the surface but try to don't get too closer to the borders. Pay attention not to wet the pizza too much: create a thin layer with the tomato sauce!
- Sprinkle the shreded Mozzarella all over the pizza. Don't put the cheese on the borders. Then sprinkle the oregano and the basil on the top of the surface. Add salt and pepper to taste. Finally add about 3-4 tbsp of extra-virgin olive oil well spread all over the surface.
- If the oven has reached the right temperature, put the tray in. Bake the pizza until the borders become a little crispy and the mozzarella becomes golden. If you see too much liquid on the pizza, it means that it have to bake a little more. Anyway the time is about 9-12 minutes (actually the last pizza I baked needed 15 minutes). In every case, keep an eye on your pizza!
- Well, you don't need instructions for enjoying a pizza! Buon appetito!
Most home cooks ruin a Margherita pizza by overloading the crust with wet ingredients, resulting in a soggy center that fails to bake through. Achieving a crisp, stable base requires careful moisture management, particularly with the dairy and tomatoes. Bread flour, with its higher protein content compared to all-purpose flour, provides the essential structural gluten network needed to support the toppings without tearing during the stretching process.
Managing Moisture in Dough and Toppings
Shredding mozzarella is only the first step; squeezing out the excess milk prevents liquid from pooling on the baking surface during cooking. When applying the tomato sauce, maintain a thin layer and leave a clean border around the edge so the crust can puff and brown properly. Water absorption in the dough varies depending on ambient humidity and room temperature, meaning the specified 350 milliliters of water may need slight adjustment. Knead the dough until completely smooth and elastic, then allow it to ferment in a warm space for at least two hours to develop internal gas pockets that ensure a light texture.
Baking Parameters and Storage Options
Preheating the oven to a blistering 220 to 250 degrees Celsius is non-negotiable for achieving proper crust blistering within the 9 to 15 minute baking window. If you wish to make the dough in advance, half of the batch can be frozen for up to one month. To use frozen dough, transfer it to the refrigerator in the morning for a slow thaw, then let it rise in a warm location before shaping.
