Margherita Pizza

Margherita Pizza with fresh mozzarella cheese combines homemade pizza dough with the classic and comforting taste of tomatoes, garlic, and basil. A crisp, bright, and cheesy pizza!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 40

Cook Time 7

Total Time 47

Servings servings (2 pizzas)

Calories 456kcal

Author John Kanell

Equipment

mixing bowl
Pizza stone or baking steel
Pizza peel or cookie sheet

Ingredients

1 cup whole San Marzano tomatoes (286g from a 28-ounce can)
3 garlic cloves minced (about 1 tablespoon)
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 recipe Homemade pizza dough
Semolina or all-purpose flour for dusting
8 ounces fresh mozzarella (not packed in water), cut into cubes (226 g)
⅓ cup fresh basil leaves
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

Place a pizza stone or steel on top rack of oven, about 6 inches away from the top heating element. Preheat the oven to 550°F for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl using your hands, crush the tomatoes until broken into small pieces. Stir in the garlic, salt, and pepper, and set the sauce aside.
Divide the dough into 2 equal portions and shape into loose balls. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rest at room temperature for 5 minutes.
Dust the work surface and dough lightly with flour. Stretch each portion into a 10-inch round. Working one at a time, spoon half of the sauce (about ½ cup), and spread in an even layer leaving a ½-inch border from the edge. Top evenly with half of the cheese. Place pizza in the oven using a pizza peel or a rimless baking sheet.
Bake for 7 to 8 minutes or until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbly. Repeat with the remaining dough, sauce, and cheese. Drizzle with olive oil and top with basil before serving.

Notes

Preheat the oven with the pizza stone inside. For wood-fired pizza taste that has a more crisp than chewy crust, preheat the oven with the pizza stone or pizza steel on the top rack with the rack positioned about 6 inches from the heating element. Thoroughly preheating both the oven and stone or steel will result in a crispy crust, melty cheese, and pizza-parlor flavor.
Pizza stone alternative. If you don’t have a pizza stone or steel, you can place a heavy-duty large rimmed baking sheet upside down and use the flat surface for baking the pizza. Or, simply shape and bake it on a pizza pan for less crisp but still delicious results.
Don’t have a pizza peel? Use a flat baking or cookie sheet (one without a rim) and lightly dust it with semolina flour or fine cornmeal before shaping the crust.
Squeeze the tomatoes to break up larger pieces. Using your hands, squeeze the canned tomatoes to break up any larger pieces and then mix in the spices. You don’t need a food processor, but you do want to make sure the larger tomatoes are broken up and no large chunks remain. Use a large bowl if your kids are getting involved in this step to prevent splashing.
Use your hands to stretch and form the crust. No rolling pin is needed for this recipe! On a lightly floured surface, use your hands to stretch each of the dough balls into a 10-inch round crust. Don’t worry if the shape is irregular or if it is more of an oval than a circle!
Build the pizza just before baking. Due to how thin the dough is, you don’t want to pre-build your pizzas too far in advance because the dampness of the toppings will cause the dough to soften, making it difficult to get on the peel. Instead, build each pizza just before you place it in the oven.
Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and fresh basil. Just before serving, drizzle the hot pizza with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle fresh basil leaves on top for a tasty and stunning garnish.

Nutrition