Pizza Margherita

Posted in Baking, Italian Cuisine, Light Lunches, Main Meals, Travel, Vegetarian Recipes by

A Neapolitan classic: Pizza Margherita. Rustic, authentic and simply delicious. Serve with a sprinkling of oregano or fresh basil for a delicious and traditional Italian dinner.

pizza margherita 

Tasting this delicious recipe transported me back to Italy and eating pizza Margherita in the middle of the Piazza del Campo is Siena.

Over the weekend is we always enjoy a pizza night in our house. It’s become a tradition over the years and I love getting into the kitchen and making homemade pizza with my family. Once it’s baking in the oven and you can smell all those amazing aromas, you know your weekend is off to a delicious start.

The mix of flavours are simple and taste wonderful. My earliest memories are of my mum making homemade pizza for me and my friends for dinner. Everyone couldn’t believe we had made it all from scratch and so I’ve been making homemade pizza for as long as I can remember. This is just the very basic Margherita pizza, however you can top it with any extra ingredients that take your fancy.

Forget buying pre-made pizza and try my easy homemade pizza recipe. You’ll have so much fun creating your own unique pizza!

(Makes 2 x 25cm pizzas)

Ingredients:

Pizza Dough –

500g strong white bread flour or tipo ’00 flour, plus extra for dusting

7g fast-action dried yeast

1 teaspoon fine salt

2 teaspoons sugar

250ml warm water

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for brushing

Toppings –

300-400g passata (sieved Italian tomatoes)

Fresh basil leaves, for sauce and serving (optional)

Dried oregano

250g dried mozzarella (also known as pizza mozzarella) or 2 balls of buffalo mozzarella, drained and then torn

Method:

1. To prepare the pizza dough: Put the flour, yeast and salt into a large mixing bowl. Make a small well in the centre and add the water and oil and mix into a wet dough. Turn the dough out onto a well floured surface and knead by hand for 5 minutes. Once kneaded and elasticated place the dough into a lightly oiled bowl, cover it and leave to rise somewhere warm for 25 minutes or until doubled in size.

2. Preheat your oven to 200°C / 180°C Fan / 400°F / Gas Mark 6. Lightly oil two large baking trays with approx. 1 tablespoon of olive oil on each tray. Once the dough has rested, take it out the bowl and divide into two equal halves. Using your hands or a rolling pin press the dough out to form a circle shape – about 25cm in diameter. Place the pizza bases on the oiled baking trays.

3. Mix together the passata, tear in a small handful of fresh basil leaves (optional) and season well with salt and pepper. Now spread the passata mixture evenly on top of each pizza. Sprinkle with a little oregano or your favourite dried herbs. Divide the mozzarella between the two pizzas and top with the tomatoes (if using).  Cook in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until crispy and all the cheese is gooey and melted. Serve hot and garnish with basil leaves and drizzle with a little extra olive oil to finish.

jess

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55 thoughts on “Pizza Margherita”

  5. Jess! This post totally takes me back to Italy. Friday nights are pizza nights in our house, too…and I’m loving the classic margherita pizzas you’ve got going on here. Save me a slice?? 🙂

    Reply

  6. This pizza is perfect for a friday evening ! Looks divine ! I didn’t know what to cook for supper,now I know it ! Thanks Jess 🙂

    Reply

  12. This looks delicious and makes me want to go make and eat it right now!! How can you not love pizza?? Love your Friday pizza tradition 🙂

    Reply

  19. I bake my own pizza at least once a week, it’s my favorite comfort food. Sometimes I use whole wheat flour and opt for healthy toppings but I know nothing beats the yumminess of its most classic version, the Margherita!

    Reply

  27. Fridays are our homemade pizza night too! I don’t eat much dairy anymore, but I cannot live without pizza…luckily I can control the cheese when it’s homemade 🙂 Looks delicious!

    Reply

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