Plain but full of flavour, Pizza Margherita is one of the most appreciated pizzas in Italy! We use only fresh and the best quality ingredients, in order to get the right combination of flavours. It’s so simple but really delicious!
I often prepare this pizza with a sourdough starter and make a dough using mainly spelt flour, because I love it’s nutty flavour and crunchy texture. Here is my favourite sourdough recipe for the pizza base and the normal yeast version.
Pizza Margherita
Preparation time: 5 minutes + the time to make the dough
Cooking time: 30-40 minutes
Ingredients
For two large pizzas
2 pizza bases (use the dough you prefer)
Two good quality mozzarellas (if you want more flavour you can use buffalo mozzarella)
200 g good quality tomato sauce (sweet and not acidic)
2 tablespoons of chopped marjoram (fresh or dried)
Extra virgin olive oil and salt to taste ( I mix them with the tomato sauce and herbs)
Method.
1. Preheat the oven at the highest temperature and with the fan running (to dry out the excess water from the cheese). Place the pizza stone in the oven (the pizza stone has to heat up gradually, because otherwise it will break).
2. Once the pizza stone is hot, remove it from the oven and dust with some dried (quick cooking) polenta (the polenta will make the pizza crust crunchier).
3. Roll out the pizza dough on the stone, top with the ingredients and place to cook in the oven, with the fan running, for 30-40 minutes (depending on the temperature you are using).
Notes.
1. Use the best quality tomato sauce you can get ; if the tomato sauce is too acidic, you can add some sugar and make it sweeter.
2. Mozzarella is usually preserved in water, so you have to rinse it really well and squeeze it with your hands when you use it.
3. You can use different herbs to personalise your pizza; we often use oregano, basil or marjoram.
Foodfulife 
This looks delicious! I’ve been making sourdough bread quite regularly now. I would love to use my starter in pizza dough. Such a great idea!
Thank you, Chaya! You know, I don’t buy takeaway pizza anymore, since I make my own with sourdough…
Mmmm! Pizza with simple, but really good quality ingredients is just the best, Serena!
I prepare it every week, Julianna! 😉
Love the polenta tip – will have to try that next time.
Hi Nicola! I don’t always add polenta when I use the pizza stone, because it makes the pizza base quite crunchy anyway, but if you use an oven tray, or a baking tin, it works really well!
I use pizza stones too – but for the sake of ease, we usually role our dough out onto a baking sheet, throw our toppings on, and then transfer the baking sheet onto the stone… Still works pretty well.
Of course, the stone release the heat under the baking sheet. The good thing about using the pizza stone is that you don’t really need to add any oil, because the pizza won’t stick to the stone. I usually add only a little bit of extra virgin olive oil in the dough.
I love the simplicity of the flavor from the Margherita pizza, Serena 🙂
me too, it’s one of my favourites 🙂 I like to use fresh tomatoes, when I can…It is delicious!