Margherita Pizza is the most basic pizza and also the very best. You can’t argue with the simplicity or flavor of this favorite! Our garden is just full of vine ripe tomatoes and our basil plants are large and bushy. Magherita Pizza is just what we need right now!
What you need
Extra virgin olive oil
Tomatoes
Fresh mozzarella
Basil
How to make Margherita Pizza
Start with my recipe for Pizza Dough. This recipe makes two 12 inch rounds of dough. I used it to make two Margherita Pizzas on a pizza stone. Place a pizza stone on an oven rack and preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Once the oven reaches 500 degrees, let the stone heat up for about 30 minutes, while you prepare the pizzas.
Form two 12 inch rounds of pizza dough by rolling and stretching into a circle. I did this on square pieces of parchment paper. Mix the Fresh Tomato Marinara and extra virgin olive oil in a small bowl. Some like pizza sauce on a Margherita Pizza and some just brush the dough with extra virgin olive oil. This mixture of both is like a tomato olive oil. Brush this sauce mixture on the pizza dough, leaving about 1/2 to 3/4 inch of exterior dough free of sauce.
Next, slice 2 or 3 large tomatoes and half some cherry tomatoes if you have them. Use paper towels to blot out as much liquid as you can from the tomato slices. Arrange them on the pizza dough and top with torn pieces of fresh mozzarella.
Pull the parchment, along with the pizza, onto a pizza peel and place it on the pizza stone. The stone is very hot, so be careful not to touch it. The parchment remains under the pizza. The pizza will need 10-12 minutes, maybe as much as 15 minutes. I find that a Margherita Pizza, with so much liquid from the fresh tomatoes, can have a soggy crust in the middle. To avoid this, I gave the pizzas some time directly on the oven rack. When the cheese is melted and just beginning to brown, gently pull the parchment paper and pizza onto the peel and place it on an oven rack beneath the stone. You want the heat from the bottom of the oven to reach the bottom of the crust. Once the cheese is nicely browned, remove the pizza to a cutting board.
Cover the top of the pizza with basil, tearing the larger leaves into pieces. You want to do this after the pizza comes out of the oven. They will wilt a little bit from the heat of the pizza, which is exactly what you want. If they spend time in the oven, they will be dark and lifeless. Now is the time to slice and enjoy!
Margherita Pizza
Margherita Pizza is the most basic pizza and also the very best. You can't argue with the simplicity or flavor of this favorite!
Ingredients
- Pizza dough for two 12 inch rounds
- ½ cup marinara
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 – 3 large tomatoes
- Cherry tomatoes (optional)
- 8 ounce ball of fresh mozzarella
- 3 – 4 sprigs of basil
Directions
- Step 1 Start with my recipe for Pizza Dough. This recipe makes two 12 inch rounds of dough. I used it to make two Margherita Pizzas on a pizza stone. Place a pizza stone on an oven rack and preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Once the oven reaches 500 degrees, let the stone heat up for about 30 minutes, while you prepare the pizzas.
- Step 2 Form two 12 inch rounds of pizza dough by rolling and stretching into a circle. I did this on square pieces of parchment paper. Mix the marinara and extra virgin olive oil in a small bowl. Brush this sauce mixture on the pizza dough, leaving about 1/2 to 3/4 inch of exterior dough free of sauce.
- Step 3 Next, slice 2 or 3 large tomatoes and half some cherry tomatoes if you have them. Use paper towels to blot out as much liquid as you can from the tomato slices. Arrange them on the pizza dough and top with torn pieces of fresh mozzarella.
- Step 4 Pull the parchment, along with the pizza, onto a pizza peel and place it on the pizza stone. The stone is very hot, so be careful not to touch it. The parchment remains under the pizza. The pizza will need 10-12 minutes, maybe as much as 15 minutes. I find that a Margherita Pizza, with so much liquid from the fresh tomatoes, can have a soggy crust in the middle. To avoid this, I gave the pizzas some time directly on the oven rack. When the cheese is melted and just beginning to brown, gently pull the parchment paper and pizza onto the peel and place it on an oven rack beneath the stone. You want the heat from the bottom of the oven to reach the bottom of the crust. Once the cheese is nicely browned, remove the pizza to a cutting board.
- Step 5 Cover the top of the pizza with basil, tearing the larger leaves into pieces. You want to do this after the pizza comes out of the oven. They will wilt a little bit from the heat of the pizza, which is exactly what you want. If they spend time in the oven, they will be dark and lifeless. Now is the time to slice and enjoy!
