Margherita Pizza

Tomato • Mozzarella • Basil — Naples, Italy

Three toppings, nowhere to hide. The pizza that teaches restraint — a thin veil of marinara, milky mozzarella, basil added after the bake.

Ingredients

• 250 g — Pizza dough ball (see dough recipe)
• 120 g — Marinara sauce (½ cup)
• 125 g — Fresh mozzarella, torn & patted dry
• 8 pc — Fresh basil leaves
• 10 ml — Olive oil (2 tsp)
• 10 g — Semolina, for stretching

Step-by-Step Method

1. Heat like you mean it. Oven at maximum (500–550°F / 260–290°C) with a steel or stone inside for at least 45 minutes.
2. Stretch. On semolina, press the dough ball from the center out to a 10–11 inch round, leaving a puffy rim.
3. Top lightly. A thin layer of marinara — you should see dough through it. Scatter mozzarella. Less topping = crisper pizza.
4. Bake 6–8 minutes. Until the rim is blistered and spotted and the cheese pools. Slide onto a rack for 1 minute so the base stays crisp.
5. Finish. Basil and olive oil go on after baking, never before — basil burns and oil fries in the oven.

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