Classic Margherita Pizza
Three toppings, nothing hidden — this is the pizza that shows whether your dough is any good.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 12 min
- Total
- 32 min
- Serves
- 2
- Revisions
- 5
Allergens
- Cereals containing gluten
- Milk
Named from the ingredients as written, including those carried in from sub-recipes. This is not a guarantee — check the labels on what you actually buy, and note that a product’s recipe can change.
Ingredients
Method
Mix the flour, water, 5g of salt and the yeast into a shaggy dough with no dry flour left.
Rest the dough for 10 minutes so the flour hydrates.
Knead for 5 minutes, until the dough is smooth and springs back slowly when pressed.
Cover and prove at room temperature for 4-6 hours, until roughly doubled.
Heat the oven to 250C/480F, or as hot as it goes, with a stone or steel inside for at least 45 minutes — the stone comes up to heat far more slowly than the air.
Stretch the dough by hand to about 30cm. Never use a rolling pin; it crushes the airy rim.
Spread the crushed tomatoes over the base, leaving a 2cm border.
Season the tomatoes with the 1.5g of salt.
Scatter over the mozzarella.
Bake for 8-12 minutes, until the crust is blistered and the cheese is bubbling.
Finish with the basil leaves and a thread of olive oil.
Eat straight away, while the base is still crisp.