Margherita

also called pizza margherita · margarita · margarita pizza · marg · cheese pizza · cheese pie · plain slice · a regular · Neapolitan pizza

The table

Preheat a baking steel on the upper rack of the oven at 550°F (290°C) 45 min as hot as it will go
2 balls(250 g each; from the recipe on this shelf)pizza doughstretch to 12 in, thick at the rimtop thin, cheese in the gapsbake 550°F (290°C) 6 to 8 minfinish with oil, off the heat
2 Tbs(20 g)semolina
14 oz(400 g; San Marzano, drained of the thin juice)whole peeled tomatoescrush by hand, and do not cook it
1/2 tspfine sea salt
1 Tbs(15 mL)extra-virgin olive oil
8 oz(225 g; torn, drained an hour on a rack)fresh mozzarella
10 leavesfresh basil
2 tsp(10 mL)olive oil
Bake it hotter than feels reasonable for less time than feels safe. This is a 550°F home oven on a steel not the 800°F deck that gives a Neapolitan pie its ninety-second leopard spotting the crust it makes is drier and crisper rather than soft and foldable — a good pie an honestly different one. Two balls of dough are left from the recipe this leans on which is what a dough that keeps four days in the fridge is
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What to lay out

Everything the recipe asks for, sitting under the step that eats it. Tick each one as you measure it.11 things to get out.

Pans and tools

Before anything else

2stretch to 12 in, thick at the rim

3crush by hand, and do not cook it

4top thin, cheese in the gaps

goes in with what steps 2 and 3 made

6finish with oil, off the heat

goes in with what step 5 made

Cooking it

Tap a step when it is done; the next one lights up.

The clock

Start to finish
at least 7 mintwo waits that overlap count once
Needs you
none givenof the steps that give a time

4 of the 5 steps never say how long they take, so both numbers are floors. The recipe itself says 1 hr.

  1. crush by hand, and do not cook it

    not timedfrom the start

  2. stretch to 12 in, thick at the rim

    not timedfrom the start

  3. top thin, cheese in the gaps

    not timedfrom the start

  4. bake 550°F (290°C) 6 to 8 min

    7 minwalk awayfrom the start

  5. finish with oil, off the heat

    not timed7 min in

You'll need baking steel · oven

Goes with

See how it is written
>> title: Margherita
>> category: Pizzas
>> tags: pizza, tomato, mozzarella, basil, italian, oven
>> counters: Pizzeria
>> aka: pizza margherita, margarita, margarita pizza, marg, cheese pizza, cheese pie, plain slice, a regular, Neapolitan pizza
>> pairs-with: pizza-dough, basil-pesto
>> servings: 2
>> time: 1 hr
>> step.2: crush by hand, and do not cook it
>> step.3: stretch to 12 in, thick at the rim
>> step.4: top thin, cheese in the gaps
>> step.5: bake 550°F (290°C) 6 to 8 min
>> step.6: finish with oil, off the heat

Preheat a #baking steel{} on the upper rack of the #oven{} at 550°F (290°C) ~preheat{45%min}, as hot as it will go.

Crush @whole peeled tomatoes{14%oz}(400 g; San Marzano, drained of the thin juice) by hand with @fine sea salt{1/2%tsp} and @extra-virgin olive oil{1%Tbs}(15 mL). Raw, and it stays raw — it cooks in the eight minutes the pie is in the oven, which is the difference between a pizza and a plate of stewed tomato.

Stretch @pizza dough{2%balls}(250 g each; from the recipe on this shelf) out to 12 in on @semolina{2%Tbs}(20 g), pressing the middle thin and leaving a half-inch rim untouched.

Top @&(~1)stretched dough{} with @&(~2)crushed tomato{} spread thin to the rim, then @fresh mozzarella{8%oz}(225 g; torn, drained an hour on a rack) dropped in gaps rather than laid over, and @fresh basil{10%leaves} tucked under the cheese so it steams instead of burning.

Bake @&(~1)dressed pie{} on the steel ~bake{7%min}, until the rim has puffed and spotted and the underside lifts stiff off the peel.

Finish @&(~1)pizza{} with @olive oil{2%tsp}(10 mL) poured over in a thread, and cut it within the minute.

Bake it hotter than feels reasonable for less time than feels safe. This is a 550°F home oven on a steel, not the 800°F deck that gives a Neapolitan pie its ninety-second leopard spotting, and the crust it makes is drier and crisper rather than soft and foldable — a good pie, and an honestly different one. Two balls of dough are left from the recipe this leans on, which is what a dough that keeps four days in the fridge is for.