The ultimate margherita pizza
- Portion size: Makes 2 x 30cm pizzas
- Hands-on time 40 min, oven time 10-11 min, plus rising and proving
- Difficulty: easy
Discover how to make the ultimate margherita pizza at home – no pizza oven required. We’ve given the traditional Neapolitan pizzeria favourite some tweaks to make it achievable in a home kitchen and deliver the best flavour and texture. It might not be authentic but it is delicious!
- Tried-and-tested recipe: There are two classic Naples pizzas: marinara has a thin, crisp base topped with fresh tomato passata and dotted with garlic and oregano; margherita has the same base topped with fresh tomato passata, mozzarella and fresh basil. We found that a mix of both varieties with a cooked tomato sauce – and some Worcestershire sauce (controversial!) – was a winner.
- Pizza history: The Italian city of Naples claims to be the home of authentic pizza because it has the world’s oldest pizzeria, established in 1738. Pizza marinara gets its name from the Neapolitan sailors who ate it in the 18th century. Pizza margherita was supposedly created much later and named after Margherita, the Queen of Italy, who visited the city in 1889. Its colours – green, white and red – matched those of the Italian flag.
- How to cook crisp pizza in the oven: Neapolitan pizzas are traditionally cooked at 485°C for 60-90 seconds. That’s not possible in a domestic oven. A pizza stone helps to create a crisp crust, but if you don’t have one a hot baking sheet will do a similar job. Roll out the dough as thinly as you can, then hold it up to the light – it’s the right thickness when you can almost see through it.
Prefer something a little meatier? Check out our margherita pizza with chorizo recipe for a fiery kick.
Ingredients
- 3 shallots, very finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 100ml red wine
- Bunch fresh basil, leaves picked, half chopped, half left whole
- Few fresh oregano sprigs, leaves picked and chopped
- 350g tomato passata
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce (or Henderson’s Relish for vegetarians)
- ¼ tsp caster sugar
- 300g grated mozzarella
For the dough
- 3.5g fast-action dried yeast
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra to oil, fry and drizzle
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp caster sugar
- 170g lukewarm water
- 300g strong white bread flour, plus extra to dust
You’ll also need…
- 2 large baking sheets and a stick blender
Method
- For the dough, mix the yeast, oil, salt and sugar in a measuring jug, add the warm water and stir. Leave to stand for 10 minutes, then stir again.
- Put the flour in a mixing bowl and make a well in the centre. Pour in the yeast mixture and stir into the flour. When it starts to become a dough, use your hands to bring it together.
- Tip out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes until smooth and springy. Alternatively, you can knead the dough in a stand mixer with a dough hook on medium speed for 5-8 minutes. The dough is ready when it springs back quickly when pressed.
- Put the dough in a large oiled bowl and cover the top with cling film. Leave in a warm place for 1 hour or until roughly doubled in size.
- Meanwhile, in a large frying pan, fry the shallots in a glug of oil for 8-10 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and fry for 2 minutes, then turn up the heat, add the wine and bubble for 5 minutes to reduce by half. Add the chopped herbs (set aside the whole basil leaves) along with the passata, sugar and Worcestershire sauce. Turn the heat to low and simmer for 20-25 minutes to make a rich sauce. Taste, season and leave to cool for 10 minutes.
- Using a stick blender, whizz the sauce until smooth. Heat the oven to 240°C/220°C fan/gas 9. Put a baking sheet in the oven.
- On a clean work surface knead the dough a few times to knock it back (remove any air pockets). Divide in half and cover one piece in cling film. Roll out the other half to a 30cm circle, then repeat with the other piece of dough.
- Using the rolling pin to help, carefully lift a circle of dough onto the cold, lightly floured baking sheet. Spoon 2-3 tbsp of the sauce on top, spread it nearly to the edge, then scatter over half the grated mozzarella. Drizzle with a little oil, then carefully slide the pizza from the floured baking sheet onto the hot baking sheet and bake for 10-11 minutes until the base has cooked through and the cheese is golden and bubbling. Repeat with the other base. Scatter with the reserved whole basil leaves and a drizzle of olive oil if you like.
FAQs
An authentic margherita is topped with just fresh tomato sauce, mozzarella and basil. We’ve tweaked the traditional recipe a little to include some of the elements of a classic marinara pizza, such as oregano and garlic, and added a few flavour-boosters to create the best pizza you can make at home.
Traditionally, yes – plus a garnish of fresh basil leaves.
Fresh buffalo mozzarella or fior di latte is traditional, but for home cooking we recommend using ready-grated or ‘cooking’ mozzarella. This is lower in moisture and helps prevent the pizza from being too wet. If using fresh mozzarella, drain it well, shred, then pat dry with kitchen paper.
The authentic recipe doesn’t, but we suggest frying shallots and garlic as the base of a gently-cooked tomato sauce for an extra hit of flavour.
Freshly crushed or milled peeled tomatoes are traditionally used to top a margherita pizza, but we suggest using good quality tomato passata, simmered with shallots, garlic and a few extra ingredients to make a rich sauce. Quality passata makes a difference: we like brands Cirio and Natoora. Avoid tomato purée, which is too intense and concentrated.
A drizzle of pesto is a great addition. Some of our favourite pizza toppings include ‘nduja and mushrooms. See the Tips section for more ideas.
Nutrition
- 602kcals Calories
- 24.8g (11.9g saturated) Fat
- 25g Protein
- 63g (5.2g sugars) Carbs
- 4.3g Fibre
- 1.2g Salt
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Reviews
Wow, the pizza looks great. I can’t wait to try it. A drizzle of olive oil is a must to carry the flavour of the basil across the pizza. I pair all my pizzas with a DeliverDeli baking steel https://www.deliverdeli.com/baking-steel/. Wishing you all the best!
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