Description
This classic Pizza Margherita recipe is simple and quick, featuring a thin, crispy crust topped with a rich tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, parmesan, cherry tomatoes, and fragrant basil. Perfect for a delicious homemade pizza experience in just four easy steps, with options for customizing toppings or making a calzone or garlic & rosemary bread.
Ingredients
Scale
Dough
- 300g strong bread flour
- 1 tsp instant yeast (from a sachet or a tub)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
- 200ml warm water (for dough)
Tomato Sauce
- 100ml passata
- Handful fresh basil or 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Toppings
- 125g ball mozzarella, sliced
- Handful grated or shaved parmesan
- Handful cherry tomatoes, halved
- Handful basil leaves (optional, for garnish)
Instructions
- Make the base: In a large bowl, combine the flour, instant yeast, and salt. Make a well in the center and pour in 200ml warm water and 1 tbsp olive oil. Use a wooden spoon to bring the mixture together into a soft, fairly wet dough. Turn it onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes until smooth. Cover with a tea towel and set aside. You may let it rise for a thinner crust, but it is not essential.
- Make the sauce: Mix the passata with the fresh or dried basil and crushed garlic clove. Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste. Let it stand at room temperature while you prepare the dough base.
- Roll out the dough: If you allowed the dough to rise, give it a quick knead and divide it into two balls. On a floured surface, roll out each ball into a large thin round about 25cm in diameter using a rolling pin. The dough should be very thin to ensure a crispy crust. Transfer the rounds onto two floured baking sheets.
- Top and bake: Preheat your oven to 240°C (fan 220°C / gas mark 8). Place an additional baking sheet or an upturned baking tray on the top shelf of the oven to preheat. Spread the tomato sauce evenly over the dough bases with the back of a spoon. Scatter slices of mozzarella, shaved parmesan, and halved cherry tomatoes over the sauce. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Carefully place one pizza on its baking sheet on top of the preheated tray in the oven. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the crust is crisp and golden and the cheese melted. Remove and drizzle with more olive oil and fresh basil leaves if using. Repeat with the second pizza.
Notes
- If the dough is too wet, add a little more flour and knead it in.
- If the dough is too stretchy and hard to roll, rest it for 10 minutes before trying again. Use firm pressure when rolling.
- If the base isn’t cooked through, baking on a preheated tray should help. Make sure the base isn’t too thick or overloaded with toppings.
- If toppings are cooking faster than the base, cover the pizza loosely with foil and bake for an additional 5 minutes.
- To customize, try toppings like olives, ham, artichokes, spicy sausage, jalapeños, spinach, gorgonzola, mascarpone, pesto, roasted peppers, or mushrooms.
- For a calzone, fold the dough over half of the toppings, seal with water, and bake until golden.
- For garlic & rosemary bread, keep the dough thicker, brush with oil, stud with rosemary sprigs, bake for 15 minutes, and finish with garlic butter.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: Pizza Margherita, homemade pizza, Italian pizza, thin crust pizza, easy pizza recipe, mozzarella pizza, tomato basil pizza
