Italy · Starters & bread
Pizza Margherita.
Tomato, mozzarella and basil, the colors of the Italian flag. How to make it at home in a regular oven.
Illustration created with AI
The story of pizza Margherita.
According to the famous story, in 1889 the Neapolitan pizza maker Raffaele Esposito prepared a pizza for Queen Margherita of Savoy with tomato, mozzarella and basil, the colors of the new Italian flag. Historians still debate the details, but the name stuck.
Pizza came to America with Neapolitan immigrants: the first pizzerias opened in New York in the early 1900s. Today Neapolitan pizza-making is even recognized by UNESCO.
Origin: Campania, Italy
Tips for great pizza in a home oven.
- Flour: bread flour or Italian “00” flour.
- Heat: preheat your oven at its highest setting with a pizza steel or stone for 45 minutes.
- Mozzarella: fresh mozzarella, torn and well drained, added toward the end.
Three steps. That’s it.
What each stage should look like.
Step 1
Make the dough.
Mix and knead the dough, then let it rise until doubled.
Step 2
Stretch by hand.
Press and stretch each ball from the center out, leaving a puffy rim.
Step 3
Bake hot.
Bake on a very hot steel or stone, adding mozzarella toward the end.
Illustrations created with AI
Recipe
Pizza Margherita.
Prep 30 min · Cook 10 min · Total 40 min + 3 h rising
Ingredients
- bread flour or “00” flour
- lukewarm water
- instant yeast
- salt
- extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to finish
- canned whole peeled tomatoes, crushed with a pinch of salt
- fresh mozzarella, torn and drained
- fresh basil leaves
Instructions
- Mix flour and yeast, add the water and oil and mix, then add the salt. Knead for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
- Cover and let rise for 2 hours at room temperature, until doubled. (Or 24 hours in the fridge for more flavor.)
- Divide into 2 balls, cover and let rest for 1 hour. Meanwhile, heat the oven to its highest setting (500–550°F / 260–290°C) with a pizza steel or stone inside for 45 minutes.
- On a floured surface, press each ball from the center outward, leaving a thicker rim, and stretch it to about 11 inches (28 cm).
- Spread with tomato, slide onto the hot steel and bake for 4–5 minutes. Add the mozzarella and bake for 2–3 more minutes, until the crust is golden and blistered.
- Finish with basil and a drizzle of olive oil, and serve hot.
Sources consulted: Gambero Rosso. Our own text, with US and metric measurements.
What you’ll need.
Pizza steel.
Stores more heat than a stone: the closest thing to a pizza oven.
Pizza peel.
To slide the pizza in and out.
Digital scale.
Pizza dough is all about precise weights.
