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My go-to pizza at all pizza restaurants is a margherita. It’s my favorite…hands down. Logically I had to create my own classic margherita pizza recipe that rivals the pies I had in Italy.
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I honestly feel like you can judge how legit a pizza place is on how good their margherita is. If they can’t make a good marg…pizza in it’s most simple, pure form…then I have little hope for any of their other ‘zas. Might be harsh, but it has worked for me so far!
The crust in this recipe is a Neopolitan crust which means that it is thin. We love it thin and chewy. This pizza crust recipe is flawless and the perfect compliment to the simple and delicate but bold flavor of a margherita pizza.
Recipes that are amazing have to be complicated and have a grocery list a mile long, right? Wrong! The crust has just 5 ingredients, the sauce has 2, and for the toppings, there are 3. It really couldn’t be more simple! Here is what you will need:
Dough:
- Baker’s flour (or 00 flour): essential to getting that chewy crust you want in a pizza, see section below for more details
- Water: it needs to be warm (105-115 degrees F) to activate the yeast properly
- Sea Salt: go for fine grain, adds flavor to the crust
- Sugar: feeds the yeast
- Instant Yeast: don’t use active dry yeast
Sauce:
- San Marzano Tomatoes: you can use crushed, whole, diced…whatever you can find…it all ends up in the blender
- Sea Salt: adds flavor to the sauce
Toppings:
- Fresh Mozzarella: you can use as much or as little of the cheese as you want
- Fresh Basil: I like to leave the leaves whole and scatter them over the top, use as many as you want
- Olive Oil: adds a little extra flavor classic to a margherita
The measurements for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card below. You can also save or print the recipe from there.
None of these tools are absolutely essential, but they will make your pizza even more amazing and honestly easier to move the pizza and get it just right!
What is a Margherita Pizza?
Margherita pizza is a pizza generally made with San Marzano tomatoes, mozzarella, fresh basil, salt and extra-virgin olive oil.
What is Baker’s Flour?
Baker’s flour is similar to bread flour in that it has a higher protein content which helps create more gluten making the bread more chewy. Just what you want in a pizza crust!
You can also use 00 flour in this recipe, but it is a little harder to find. If you’re willing to pay a little more and work a little harder to find it, I love the results I get with this floud. It is a finely ground Italian flour that is most often used for pasta and pizza dough.
For our Utah readers, I find both of these flours at Harmon’s, but if you aren’t near a Harmon’s, you can find them on Amazon or at Whole Foods.
What is a San Marzano Tomato?
San Marzano tomatoes are a variety of plum tomatoes. Plum tomatoes are a type of tomato used for making sauce.
They are generally oval or cylindrical in shape, and generally higher solid content, with less juice.
Does Margherita Pizza Contain Alcohol?
A margherita pizza is made withfresh tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella cheese.
The alcoholic beverage has nothing to do with the pizza.
How Do You Reheat Pizza?
First of all, why? Cold pizza is so dang good! But I know people have strong feelings about that so the very best way to reheat pizza is on a stove top.
Heat a heavy skillet to medium and add a drop of oil. Place the pizza in the skillet, and cook for 2 minutes, until the bottom is crisp.
Turn the heat to low and add 2 drops of water along the edge of the skillet, not next to the pizza. Cover with a lid for 1 minute, until the cheese is melted.
Of course if you’re in a hurry and don’t want to go to the effort, just zap it in the microwave for 30 seconds.
It’s simple. It’s flavorful…my most favorite pizza ever! Make this margherita pizza recipe for your next homemade pizza night with the fam! I just know you’re going to love it!
More PIZZA RECIPES you are sure to love:
- Pesto Pepperoni and Sausage Grilled Pizza
- Elote Mexican Corn Grilled Pizza
- Pepperoni Pizza Stuffed Crescent Rolls
- Pepperoni Pizza Dip
- Homemade Pizza Sauce
- Zucchini Pizza Crust
- Pulled Pork Pizza
- Grilled Garlic Naan Pizza
- All our Pizza recipes!
Classic Margherita Pizza
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Servings: 4 pizzas
Prep Time: 3 hours hrs 10 minutes mins
Cook Time: 20 minutes mins
Total Time: 3 hours hrs 30 minutes mins
Ingredients
- 1 Batch Pizza Dough, *see note
For the Sauce:
- 1 Can San Marzano Tomatoes, 14 oz (**see note)
- 3/4 teaspoon Sea Salt, fine grain
For the Toppings:
- 8 Ounces Fresh Mozzarella, torn into pieces
- Basil, fresh, whole leaves, you only need a few
- Olive Oil, for drizzling on top
Instructions
For the Crust:
Make the crust according to instructions in the linked recipe 24 hours in advance.
1 Batch Pizza Dough
About 60-90 minutes before baking, remove the dough from the fridge to come to room temperature.
Place a pizza stone on the upper rack of your oven and preheat the oven to 550° for 45 to 50 minutes.
Once the pizza stone is ready prepare your pizza dough by lightly dusting the counter with flour and shaping the dough by pressing from the middle outward and spinning the dough as you go.
Dust a pizza peel with a little flour and place the dough on top.
For the Sauce:
Pour tomatoes and sauce into a blender and blend until smooth (***see note).
1 Can San Marzano Tomatoes, 3/4 teaspoon Sea Salt
For the Toppings:
Spread the tomato sauce to your liking over the door leaving a 1/2 to 1 inch border around the edge, just smooth it with the back of your spoon.
Turn the oven onto broil for five minutes. Gently slide the pizza off of the pizza peel and onto the pizza stone inside of the oven. Immediately turn the oven back down to 550°
Let the pizza bake for a few minutes, then open the door and slide the pizza back onto the pizza peel. In Italy at this point they said that you can either drizzle with a small tablespoon of olive oil all over the pizza or you can go straight to chunks of mozzarella and fresh basil leaves.
8 Ounces Fresh Mozzarella, Basil, Olive Oil
Slide the pizza back onto the pizza stone in the oven for another 1 to 2 minutes. At this point you can remove it and add a little more olive oil or just eat it as is.
Notes
*I highly recommend letting the pizza dough rest for up to 24 hours before baking it, so take that into account before starting this recipe.
**this can be hard to find so if you need to use 28 oz either use half or we double the sauce and freeze half
***store in the fridge with a label for 5-7 days or freezer for 3 months.
Nutrition
Serving: 1pizzaCalories: 204kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 14gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 45mgSodium: 929mgPotassium: 344mgFiber: 2gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 604IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 322mgIron: 2mg
Author: Sweet Basil
Course: 10 + Favorite Pizza Recipes, Over 500 Family Dinner Recipes Ideas
Cuisine: Italian
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