Classic Margherita Pizza
This classic margherita pizza is made with a thin, chewy crust, simple tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, and basil for an easy homemade pizza with authentic Italian flavor.
Servings: 4 pizzas
Equipment
- Pizza Peel
- Pizza Cutter
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:
- Prepare the pizza dough according to the recipe instructions at least 24 hours in advance.1 Batch Pizza Dough
- About 60–90 minutes before baking, remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature.
- Place a pizza stone on the upper rack of your oven and preheat to 550°F for 45–50 minutes. While the pizza stone is heating, make the sauce.
For the Sauce:
- Add the tomatoes and salt to a blender and blend until smooth. Set aside. (***see note).1 Can San Marzano Tomatoes, 3/4 teaspoon Sea Salt
Assemble and Bake:
- Lightly dust a work surface with flour. Gently press and stretch the dough from the center outward, rotating as you go, until a thin round forms.
- Dust a pizza peel with flour and transfer the dough onto it.
- Turn the oven to broil for 5 minutes. Carefully slide the dough onto the hot pizza stone, then immediately reduce the oven temperature back to 550°F.
- Bake the crust for 2–3 minutes, until it just begins to set. Remove it from the oven using the pizza peel.
- Spread a thin layer of sauce over the crust, leaving a ½–1 inch border around the edges.
- Top with fresh mozzarella and drizzle lightly with olive oil. Add basil now or after baking, depending on preference.8 Ounces Fresh Mozzarella, Basil, Olive Oil
- Return the pizza to the oven and bake for 1–2 more minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Remove from the oven, finish with fresh basil and an extra drizzle of olive oil if desired, then slice and serve. Repeat these steps with the remaining pizza dough.
Video
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. You can even make it up to 2 days ahead of time if desired.
**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: 1pizza | Calories: 204kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 45mg | Sodium: 929mg | Potassium: 344mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 604IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 322mg | Iron: 2mg