This foolproof recipe for Traditional Margherita Pizza will stay with you in the years to come. With a thick crust and plenty of gooey mozzarella, this better-than-takeout pizza will be a real hit with family and friends.
Would this blog even qualify as being run by an Italian if I didn't share a pizza recipe? Of course not! This pizza recipe has been passed down to me by my mum and it has lots of memories attached to it. We would always make this pizza together, especially during summer, and top it with all sorts of veggies I wouldn't otherwise be keen to eat such as arugula (aka rocket for the UK readers). But mostly, it was an occasion to spend quality time together, to bond and also to get me into cooking and baking. So not only you have here an authentic Italian pizza recipe, so you also have a very special recipe in general.
I think we often assume that pizza is quite a time-consuming thing to make. And that it never turns out like the restaurant ones anyway. This might be what we tell ourselves, but I strongly disagree. Anyone can make a delicious homemade pizza. You literally don't need to google easy pizza dough recipe, because pizza is easy in itself. No level of expertise is required. The whole process from start to finish takes just over an hour. So yeah, it is quicker to order one, but it is such a different feeling to eat something you have ordered from eating something you have actually made (and tastes bloody delicious too). Besides, the majority of that hour or so is for the dough to rise, so you can still get on with all the things you need to do. I told you, pizza is pretty handy.
Now that this has been clarified, we can move onto the recipe details.
The fundamentals of a basic pizza dough
Every self-respecting pizza dough recipe is made of the following ingredients:
Strong bread flour: this type of flour is key to obtain a thick and pillowy crust (in order to imitate Neapolitan-style pizza). It is however not the only flour you can use. My mum oftens uses "00" flour, a type of flour which resembles plain or all-purpose flour. By using that type of flour you will get thinner, crunchier crust, similar to Northern Italian pizza.
Warm water: despite not having a precise water temperature for pizza, temperature is still very important. The water shouldn't be cold, but equally, it shouldn't be hot, as that will kill the yeast. So what do we mean by warm water? Basically you need to start by having lukewarm water running from the tap and slightly add a bit more hot water so that it is warm, but not hot and you can comfortably run the water on your hand.
Dry active yeast: in Italy we actually use little yeast cubes that we call beer yeast. I have never been able to locate them in the UK and always used dry active yeast with identical results.
Olive oil: using a little olive oil is key to have a smooth and less sticky dough.
Salt: just like for bread, a little salt goes a long way in bread and pizza dough. I use 1 tsp for two pizzas and I find it's just the right amount.
The best marinara sauce
Now, you don't have to put marinara sauce on pizza. You can have a so-called "white" pizza that only uses cheese as a base. You can also have a pesto pizza (a hit in my region Liguria where pesto was invented). And yet, feel free to call me boring, but a good marinara sauce is always my favourite base for a pizza. Not to mention that it is pretty key when making a Margherita Pizza. So you better learn how to make a mean one!
Each pizza calls for:
200 gr good quality passata: I beg you, ditch the sugary, cheap passatas for this one. With so minimal ingredients, you will really be able to taste whether the passata is good or over processed.
1 tsp dried oregano: I am not sure everyone uses oregano in marinara sauce in Italy, but I do and I love it.
1/2 tsp salt: you can add 1/4 tsp sugar to balance the acidity of the tomatoes, but salt also helps bring all the flavours together. If you can have salt, use it.
2 crushed garlic cloves: if you don't have the tool to crush garlic cloves, you can chop them very finely with a knife. Alternatively, you can use 2 tsp garlic powder and I will not judge you.
2 tsp olive oil: some people do not add oil, others go crazy with it. I think adding one or two tsp works great.
Just mix all the ingredients together and then spread it on the pizza base. Really there is no need to cook the marinara sauce on a pot beforehand like you would do for pasta. No-cook mainara sauce. It is that simple.
Once you master this pizza recipe, you will be able to go wild and experiment with all your favourite toppings. For some inspiration, here are some of my personal favourites: grilled aubergines and red peppers, goats cheese (instead of mozzarella) and caramelized onions, mozzarella and ham.
I hope you enjoy making this easy and authentic Italian pizza recipe. I also hope you can make new memories around the kitchen with your children and/or other loved ones, just like I did with my mum.
Please note: this recipe makes dough for 2 pizzas. This is because when I make pizza dough, I always use one and freeze the other half. That way, when I am feeling like having pizza I can tough the dough and have a pizza with little to no mess. So bear that in mind when following the recipe.
Ingredients:
For the dough:
Makes dough for 2 pizzas
500 gr strong bread flour
350 ml warm water
2 level tsp dry active yeast
1 tsp salt
2 - 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
For the marinara sauce:
Makes marinara for 1 pizza
200 gr good quality passata
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp dried oregano
2 crushed garlic cloves
1/4 tsp sugar (optional)
Other toppings:
125 gr mozzarella
a few fresh basil leaves (optional)
Method:
Make the dough: into a large bowl mix the strong bread flour, salt, warm water, yeast and olive oil.
Mix briefly with a wooden spoon. Then you have to options: you can knead the dough with a stand mixer, with a dough hook for about 3 minutes on a medium intensity setting. Or you can dust a surface with flour and knead the dough with your hands for about 5 minutes, You want a smooth, lightly sticky dough that you can shape into a ball.
Add some flour to the bowl where you first mixed the pizza ingredients and place the dough into it, covering with a slightly wet cloth and leaving in a warm place to rise for 45 mins to 1 hour (or until the dough has doubled in size).
After about 40 minutes, you can start making the marinara sauce: into a medium bowl mix the passata, salt, oil, oregano, crushed garlic and, if using, sugar. Taste-test it and if there is nothing to add, leave aside.
Also cut the mozzarella into slices (mine are usually just under 1 cm thick).
Preheat the oven to 200°C.
Dust some more flour on your working surface and place the dough on it. With a knife, cut the dough in half. Place one half in a freezer bag and freeze for later use (it will be good to go for about 3 months after freezing).
Roughly shape the other half of the dough into a ball. Add more flour on the top and then. using a rolling pin, roll the pizza into a large circle, about 1 cm or slightly more thick. You might want to do this on a sheet of baking paper (always covered with extra flour). Once you get what you'd define a large pizza, trasnfer it to a wide baking tray.
Now add the passata, leaving about 2 cm at the edges to have a nice, big crust.
Add the mozzarella in slices.
Bake in the oven for about 20-25 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the crust is golden. I always find that 22 minutes is the sweet spot.
Top with some fresh basil leaves.
Enjoy!
Did you try this recipe? We'd love to hear from you! Let us know how it went by leaving a comment below! Xx
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