Homemade Margherita Pizza

Name: Homemade Margherita Pizza
Ingredients: Ingredients for the dough:; 2.2 lbs all-purpose flour (about 1 kg); 0.14 oz fresh yeast (about 4 grams); 2 3/4 cups water (about 650 ml); 2 tablespoons salt (about 30 grams); 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil or 1 tablespoon lard (if not using a wood-fired oven); 2 teaspoons sugar (if not using a wood-fired oven); Ingredients for the pizza:; Canned whole peeled tomatoes or tomato puree (San Marzano recommended); Fresh mozzarella (buffalo mozzarella or Fior di Latte); Extra-virgin olive oil; Grated Parmesan cheese (optional); Fresh basil

Max Terlizzi @cook_9659812

Margherita pizza was created in Naples in 1889 as a tribute to the Queen, by the pizzaiolo Raffaele Esposito. The authentic Margherita pizza recipe uses only flour, water, salt, and fresh yeast. A good Margherita pizza should be soft and foldable when sliced, so you can easily fold it “like a wallet.” It should be thin enough to melt in your mouth. Homemade pizza can be cooked in many ways, but if you don’t have a wood-fired oven or a professional pizza oven, the method that comes closest to pizzeria-style pizza is to cook it first in a stone skillet and then finish it under the broiler, or even better, on a pizza stone or lava stone.

Max Terlizzi @cook_9659812

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Ingredients

Ingredients for the dough:
2.2 lbsall-purpose flour (about 1 kg)
0.14 ozfresh yeast (about 4 grams)
2 3/4 cupswater (about 650 ml)
2 tablespoonssalt (about 30 grams)
2 tablespoonsextra-virgin olive oil or 1 tablespoon lard (if not using a wood-fired oven)
2 teaspoonssugar (if not using a wood-fired oven)
Ingredients for the pizza:
Canned whole peeled tomatoes or tomato puree (San Marzano recommended)
Fresh mozzarella (buffalo mozzarella or Fior di Latte)
Extra-virgin olive oil
Grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
Fresh basil

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Steps

1

Prepare the dough: Add the water and salt to a bowl and stir until dissolved. Crumble the yeast into the flour with your fingers. Gradually add the flour to the water mixture and knead well (you can use your hands or a stand mixer). Continue adding the flour little by little as you knead.
2

Add the sugar (if not using a wood-fired oven) and keep kneading. When the dough becomes workable, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil or 1 tablespoon of lard (if not using a wood-fired oven). Knead until the dough is smooth, soft, and elastic, for at least 15-20 minutes.
3

Let the dough rise: Once you have a soft dough, let it rest for 2 hours at about 77°F (25°C), covered with a clean towel or plastic wrap. After 2 hours, divide the dough into portions and let them rest for another 10 hours, covered with a clean towel or plastic wrap.
4

Prepare for baking: Preheat your oven to its highest setting at least 30 minutes before baking. Shape the pizza dough by hand on a lightly floured work surface or marble table. Start from the center and work outward, gently pressing and stretching the dough with your fingertips in a circular motion.
5

The center should be thin and the edges slightly thicker. Use your fingertips to create the crust.
6

Cook the pizza: Place a nonstick stone or lava stone skillet on the stove and heat it to at least 662°F (350°C). You can check the temperature with a kitchen thermometer. Top the pizza with tomato puree or crushed tomatoes, diced mozzarella or Fior di Latte, and a drizzle of olive oil. Once the skillet is hot, place the pizza in the skillet and cook for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes (watch closely to avoid burning or overcooking).
7

Remove the skillet from the heat, then transfer the pizza to the oven and broil on the top rack for 1-2 minutes, until the crust forms and the mozzarella melts. Serve with fresh basil.
8

Other ways to bake the pizza: For an electric oven, preheat with a pizza stone or lava stone inside. Bake for 5 minutes at 482°F (250°C). On a pizza stone over a gas burner, cook for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, then finish under the broiler on the top rack (preheated for at least 20 minutes) for 1-2 minutes. For a pizza oven like the G3 Ferrari Pizza Express, bake for 4-5 minutes without modifications, or 80-90 seconds with modifications. For a wood-fired oven, bake for 80-90 seconds.