The ultimate margherita pizza
fromdeliciousmagazine.co.ukwww.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/recipes/the-ultimate-margherita-pizza
Discover how to make the ultimate margherita pizza at home – no pizza oven required. We’ve given the traditional Neapolitan pizzeria favourite some tweaks to make it achievable in a home kitchen and deliver the best flavour and texture. It might not be authentic but it is delicious! Tried-and-tested recipe: There are two classic Naples pizzas: marinara has a thin, crisp base topped with fresh tomato passata and dotted with garlic and oregano; margherita has the same base topped with fresh tomato passata, mozzarella and fresh basil. We found that a mix of both varieties with a cooked tomato sauce – and some Worcestershire sauce (controversial!) – was a winner. Pizza history: The Italian city of Naples claims to be the home of authentic pizza because it has the world’s oldest pizzeria, established in 1738. Pizza marinara gets its name from the Neapolitan sailors who ate it in the 18th century. Pizza margherita was supposedly created much later and named after Margherita, the Queen of Italy, who visited the city in 1889. Its colours – green, white and red – matched those of the Italian flag. How to cook crisp pizza in the oven: Neapolitan pizzas are traditionally cooked at 485°C for 60-90 seconds. That’s not possible in a domestic oven. A pizza stone helps to create a crisp crust, but if you don’t have one a hot baking sheet will do a similar job. Roll out the dough as thinly as you can, then hold it up to the light – it’s the right thickness when you can almost see through it. Prefer something a little meatier? Check out our margherita pizza with chorizo recipe for a fiery kick.
Ingredients
Instructions
For the dough, mix the yeast, oil, salt and sugar in a measuring jug, add the warm water and stir. Leave to stand for 10 minutes, then stir again.
Put the flour in a mixing bowl and make a well in the centre. Pour in the yeast mixture and stir into the flour. When it starts to become a dough, use your hands to bring it together.
Tip out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes until smooth and springy. Alternatively, you can knead the dough in a stand mixer with a dough hook on medium speed for 5-8 minutes. The dough is ready when it springs back quickly when pressed.
Put the dough in a large oiled bowl and cover the top with cling film. Leave in a warm place for 1 hour or until roughly doubled in size.
Meanwhile, in a large frying pan, fry the shallots in a glug of oil for 8-10 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and fry for 2 minutes, then turn up the heat, add the wine and bubble for 5 minutes to reduce by half. Add the chopped herbs (set aside the whole basil leaves) along with the passata, sugar and Worcestershire sauce. Turn the heat to low and simmer for 20-25 minutes to make a rich sauce. Taste, season and leave to cool for 10 minutes.
Using a stick blender, whizz the sauce until smooth. Heat the oven to 240°C/220°C fan/gas 9. Put a baking sheet in the oven.
On a clean work surface knead the dough a few times to knock it back (remove any air pockets). Divide in half and cover one piece in cling film. Roll out the other half to a 30cm circle, then repeat with the other piece of dough.
Using the rolling pin to help, carefully lift a circle of dough onto the cold, lightly floured baking sheet. Spoon 2-3 tbsp of the sauce on top, spread it nearly to the edge, then scatter over half the grated mozzarella. Drizzle with a little oil, then carefully slide the pizza from the floured baking sheet onto the hot baking sheet and bake for 10-11 minutes until the base has cooked through and the cheese is golden and bubbling. Repeat with the other base. Scatter with the reserved whole basil leaves and a drizzle of olive oil if you like.
Nutrition
- Calories
- 602kcals
- Fat Content
- 24.8g (11.9g saturated)
- Protein Content
- 25g
- Carbohydrate Content
- 63g (5.2g sugars)
- Fiber Content
- 4.3g
