The World's Best Pizza Margherita - Chef Recipe by Johnny Di Francesco

Pizza Dough:

Weigh out all the ingredients

Using a dough mixer mix together the water and the salt

If you don’t have a machine mixer this recipe works just as well by hand, simply follow the same process as instructed below but knead by hand

Start the dough mixer and then add 20% of the flour and mix

Mix for 5 minutes, then add the yeast

Gradually add the remaining flour and allow to combine

Once the dough has combined and seems smooth, stop the mixer, remove the dough and put aside to rest, cover with a cloth

Total mixing time, approximately 20 minutes

Final Dough temperature, 23–24°C (73–74°F)

Allow the dough to rest for approximately 2 hours, covered well at a temperature of

+20°C/68°F

Portion into desired dough size

Round each dough piece into dough balls

Place the dough balls into a sealed container, allow them to rest and rise naturally in a room no warmer than 16–18°C (60–64°F)

Allow the dough to rest between 8-12 hours

For the best cooking results:

Domestic Oven: pre-heat the oven to 220°C (425°F) and bake for 8-10 minutes

Wood Fire Oven: 90 seconds at 400°C (752°F)

Pizza:

Roll out the pizza dough on to a baking tray or bench for stone cooking

Spread the San Marzano tomatoes over the dough

Top with the Buffalo Mozzarella, place four basil leaves on top and drizzle with some extra virgin olive oil

Bake for 10 minutes at 250°C- 280°C (500-536°F) on a domestic oven, cook for 90 seconds in a wood fire oven at 400°C (752°F).