Photos of Margherita Pizza by Mario
Crispy base, luscious toppings, airy crust… who doesn’t like a pizza? Especially a homemade one? Surely, it must be one of the most popular food eaten everywhere, anytime. But, do you know the story behind this beautiful creation?
The history of Pizza goes back a very long time. It is said that the precursor of pizza was probably the focaccia, to the Romans known as ‘panis focacius’, to which various toppings were added. Having said that, a Margherita Pizza was born much later. It was in 1889, when the Neapolitan pizza maker Raffaele Esposito created this edible masterpiece to honour the Queen consort of Italy, Margherita of Savoy. The toppings (tomatoes, Mozzarella and basil) represented the national colours of Italy – green, white and red.
Yes, we all have our favourite pizza with different toppings, but a Margherita is a classic one – after all, there would be no other pizza, if there was no Pizza Margherita!
Our recipe for this Italian classic is a simplicity at its best and the end result will leave you in awe!
MARGHERITA PIZZA
Prep time: 30 minutes + proofing time
Cook time: 12 minutes
Total time: up to 2 hours (including proofing time)
Serves 2
Recipe by Tom
INGREDIENTS
- 8 g fast action yeast
- 160 ml warm water
- Pinch of sugar
- 5 g salt
- 230 g strong white flour, plus extra for dusting
- 25 ml olive oil
- 200 ml Our Tomato Sauce (Click here for Recipe)
- 1 Mozzarella ball
- Fresh Basil
INSTRUCTIONS
- Combine water, yeast, sugar and salt together, leave for a few minutes to activate the yeast (it’s ready when a bubbly foam forms on the surface).
- In a bowl, mix by hand flour, olive oil and yeast solution. If the dough feels to dry, add a touch more water, when too wet, dust with a little flour, keep mixing until smooth and elastic. Cover the bowl with cling film and leave in a warm place until double in size.
- Divide the dough into 2 equal portions. Dust the working surface with flour and work the dough with your hands, from the centre towards the edge. Spread the dough by gradually flattening it to create a round, 20 cm in diameter (8 inches), thin pizza base. If you feel the dough sticking to working surface, just dust it with a bit more flour. Repeat the process with the other half of the dough.
- Place the bases on the baking tray or pizza stone. Spread Our Tomato Sauce on the bases, slice Mozzarella and place it on top.
- Bake in pre-heated oven, 220 degrees Celsius, for about 12 minutes. Please remember – never put basil on the pizza before you put it in the oven, always after it’s baked.
- When out of the oven, scatter Basil leaves on the pizza, slice and buon appetito!
NOTES
When working with the dough to create pizza bases, try not to work the actual edges of the dough. That way you won’t knock the air out of the dough and end up with a really crusty edge.
Although this is a recipe for Margherita Pizza, you can add any extra toppings you like, the possibilities and combinations of flavours are endless – it’s all down to your own creativity 🙂
