Master the art of true Italian pizza with this traditional Neapolitan-style Margherita—thin, chewy crust, San Marzano tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, and basil. Cooked blisteringly fast in a screaming-hot oven for that perfect charred crust!
Ingredients
For the Dough (Makes 2 pizzas):
- 500g “00” flour (or bread flour)
- 325ml warm water
- 2g fresh yeast (or 1 tsp dry yeast)
- 10g salt
For the Toppings:
- ½ cup San Marzano tomato purée
- 200g fresh mozzarella (fior di latte), torn
- Fresh basil leaves
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt to taste
Instructions
1️⃣ Make Dough (24h ahead):
- Dissolve yeast in water. Mix with flour and salt. Knead 10 mins until elastic.
- Rest at room temp 2h, then refrigerate 24h for flavor development.
2️⃣ Shape & Top:
- Divide dough into 2 balls. Rest 1h at room temp.
- Hand-stretch (no rolling pin!) into 12″ circles.
- Spread tomato purée, add mozzarella, and drizzle oil.
3️⃣ Bake (90 seconds!):
- Preheat oven + pizza stone to 500°F (260°C) for 1h (max heat).
- Slide pizza onto stone. Bake until crust blisters (~90 secs).
4️⃣ Finish:
- Top with fresh basil and salt. Slice immediately.
