Description
Margherita pizza is my favorite classic pie. The sauce and cheese are key to success. Sliced heirloom tomatoes add a fresh, summertime touch.
Ingredients
Scale
Pizza dough (Roberta’s recipe or enough for 2, 10-inch pies)
Sauce:
- 5 whole San Marzano tomatoes from can (~½ cup)
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, smashed, but kept intact
- 3–4 large basil leaves, bruised
- Kosher salt
Toppings:
- 8 oz fresh mozzarella, preferably buffalo
- 10–14 slices mixed tomatoes, preferably heirloom
- Basil leaves, for garnish
Instructions
- Make dough: If using Roberta’s pizza dough recipe, I suggest making the dough the night before and allowing it to rise in the fridge for 8-24 hours. Remove from fridge and allow to rise further at room temperature for about 30-45 minutes before baking (when oven is half-way heated).
- Mix sauce: In a bowl, add canned tomatoes and crush with hands or fork until chunky. Stir in oil, garlic and basil, and season with salt. Mix sauce at least one hour or up to three hours ahead. Cover and keep at room temperature until ready to use.
- Preheat oven: Place a pizza stone on the bottom of the oven. One hour before baking, heat oven to 500°F or highest setting. According to my thermometer, my oven reaches 550°F.
- Prepare toppings: While oven is preheating, arrange tomato slices on a plate. Season with salt and cover until ready to use. Before using, blot with paper towels to absorb excess moisture. Slice cheese into ¼ inch rounds right before using.
- Roll & top dough: Transfer first dough ball to a lightly floured surface. Use fingers to stretch and shape into a thin, 10-inch round. Flour a pizza paddle or overturned pizza sheet. Transfer dough to paddle. Remove and discard basil and garlic from sauce. Spoon over a thin layer of tomato sauce and spread from the center outward, leaving a 1 inch border. Top with half and cheese and tomatoes.
- Bake and serve: Transfer dough from pizza paddle to baking stone. Bake for about 7-10 minutes or until crust is browned. Using the pizza paddle or two spatulas, remove the pizza from the oven and allow to cool slightly on cutting board before slicing. Repeat with remaining dough ball. Top with basil. Enjoy.
Notes
If for any reason the recipe for Roberta’s pizza is blocked on New York Times, try this link: https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/robertas-pizza-dough-52869431. The recipe translates to about 1 cup each of 00 and all purpose flour. You will need a little more flour while kneading.
Prep time does not include time needed for dough to rise.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Main
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2 of 1 pizza
- Calories: 490
- Sugar: 2g
- Sodium: 1600mg
- Fat: 23g
- Saturated Fat: 10g
- Carbohydrates: 52g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 20g