Pizza Margherita is the most well-known pizza by which all pizzerias would be judged. In June 1889, the Neapolitan pizza maker Raffaele Esposito created the “Pizza Margherita” to celebrate the unification of Italy, and in honour of Queen Margherita of Savoy when she visited Naples. It is a pizza made with tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil which represent the national colours of the flag of Italy.
According to the rules proposed by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana, the genuine Neapolitan pizza dough consists of wheat flour, yeast, salt and water only. The Neapolitan pizza should be round in shape with a maximum diameter of 35cm. The dough should be pressed into a disc, which is then stretched by hand, moving the air from the centre towards the edge. The crust is very thin at the base, but the dough will puff up around the rim during cooking. Some areas of the thin, airy crust at the edge will become charred under the intense heat, displaying a leopard-like spot pattern.
Neapolitan pizza is traditionally cooked in a wood fired oven dome at about 400°C. The domestic oven will not reach this temperature. But the method described below will recreate the intense heat using a cast iron skillet.
This recipe will make four 25cm pizza.
Ingredients
- 475g 00 flour
- 255g water
- 90g sourdough starter (I00% hydration starter)
- 15g salt
If you are using instant dry yeast or fresh brewer's yeast:
- 520g 00 flour
- 300g water
- 1g instant dry yeast or 2.5g fresh brewer's yeast
- 15g salt
For the topping:
- 1 x 400g can of whole San Marzano or Italian plum tomatoes
- A handful of basil leaves
- 350g mozzarella, torn into small pieces
- A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil for each pizza
Instructions
- Mix the flour, sourdough starter/instant dry yeast, water and salt. If you are using fresh brewer's yeast, dissolve it in water first and mix with other ingredients. Knead by hand for 10-15 minutes until the dough is strong. (You can also use a stand mixer to knead the dough.)
- Cover and leave to rest for 10 minutes. Knead the dough again for a minute to help develop the gluten.
- Cover and allow to rest again until it doubles in size (a few hours, depending on room temperature). Divide the dough into 4 pieces, about 200g each. Shape each piece into a ball. Put the balls in a sealed container or a deep tray sprinkled with flour and covered in cling film. Remember to leave space between the dough balls because, as the gluten relaxes, they will spread out to take up more space.
- Allow to rest at room temperature for a few hours until the balls double in size. The dough balls may also be allowed to develop in the refrigerator overnight. In this case, take them out from the refrigerator and allow them to relax for an hour before baking.
- Use your fingertips to flatten the dough ball, starting at the centre and working out to the edge. Ensure you leave a centimetre around the rim of the pizza untouched. Turn over and repeat the same process.
- Put the flattened dough on the back of your hands with the weight on your knuckles. Stretch the dough out as far as you can without tearing it. Turn the dough 90 degrees and do the stretching again. Repeat this process a few times. You should now have a disc of about 25cm in diameter. Remember not to stretch or touch the rim of the pizza.
- To make the tomato sauce, pour the tomatoes into a food mill. Drain any excessive liquid. Pass them through the mill which will remove the seeds. Season with a pinch of salt.
- Preheat the oven grill to its highest possible setting (270°C).
- Lightly oil a cast iron skillet. Heat it over the stove until it is extremely hot. Cook the pizza base flat in the skillet. Meanwhile spread a thin layer of tomato sauce across the base but not over the crust. Scatter the basil leaves and mozzarella over. Drizzle with a little olive oil.
- After the base is cooked (it only takes 1-2 minutes), place the skillet under the oven grill. The pizza is ready once the crust has developed some dark "leopard spots" (after 1-2 minutes).
Tag us on Instagram at @coquendum, or share a photo with the hashtag #coquendum.