Authentic Neapolitan pizza is built on restraint: a soft, well-fermented dough, a bright uncooked tomato sauce, good mozzarella, and the hottest oven you can manage. You don't need a wood fire — just a preheated steel or stone and patience while the dough rises.
Ingredients
- Dough: 500 g (4 cups) 00 or bread flour
- 325 ml (1⅓ cups) warm water
- 10 g (2 tsp) salt · 3 g (1 tsp) instant yeast
- Top: 1 can (400 g) San Marzano tomatoes, hand-crushed
- 250 g fresh mozzarella (fior di latte), torn & drained
- Fresh basil, extra-virgin olive oil, salt
Method
- Combine flour, water, salt and yeast and mix to a shaggy dough. Knead 8–10 minutes by hand (or 5 in a mixer) until smooth and springy. Cover and rest 1.5–2 hours, until doubled.
- Divide into two balls, tuck into tight rounds, and rest another 20–30 minutes while you heat the oven as high as it goes (260–290°C / 500–550°F) with a pizza steel or stone inside for at least 45 minutes.
- Season the crushed tomatoes with a pinch of salt and a little olive oil — do not cook them.
- Gently stretch one dough ball on a floured surface into a thin round, leaving a puffy rim. Spread a thin layer of sauce, scatter torn mozzarella, and drizzle with oil.
- Slide onto the hot steel and bake until the crust is blistered and the cheese bubbles, about 8–10 minutes. Finish with fresh basil and a thread of olive oil. Repeat with the second ball.
🍕 Drain the mozzarella
Fresh mozzarella holds a lot of water. Tear it ahead and let it sit on paper towels for 15 minutes so your pizza bakes crisp instead of soggy.
The pizza named for a queen
As the story goes, in 1889 the Naples pizzaiolo Raffaele Esposito made a pizza for Queen Margherita in the colours of the Italian flag — red tomato, white mozzarella, green basil — and named it in her honour. True or embellished, the Margherita became the benchmark of Neapolitan pizza: only a few ingredients, and every one of them has to be good.
It's a lesson in restraint. Great dough, great tomatoes, great cheese — and heat.
Ingredient notes & substitutions
- Dough — Italian "00" flour gives the classic light chew; bread flour works. A slow, cold rise develops the best flavour.
- Tomatoes — San Marzano or good canned plum tomatoes, crushed by hand, uncooked and lightly salted.
- Mozzarella — fresh fior di latte or buffalo mozzarella, torn and drained so it doesn't flood the pizza.
- Basil and olive oil — fresh basil after baking and a drizzle of good extra-virgin to finish.
🔥 Pro tips
Get your oven as hot as it will go with a stone or steel preheated for at least 45 minutes — Neapolitan pizza wants blistering heat and a short bake. Stretch the dough by hand rather than rolling it, so you keep air in the crust. Go light on the toppings; overloading makes the middle soggy. Add the basil after baking so it stays fresh.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Oven not hot enough. A cool oven gives a pale, tough crust — crank it and preheat the stone.
- Too much sauce or cheese. It steams the base into a soggy centre.
- Rolling the dough. A rolling pin presses out the air; stretch it by hand.
- Wet mozzarella. Tear and drain it first so it doesn't water down the pie.
What to serve with margherita pizza
- A simple green salad dressed with lemon and olive oil.
- Caponata or olives and antipasti to start.
- A glass of light red, Naples-style.
Storage & reheating
Pizza is best straight from the oven, but leftovers keep for 2–3 days in the fridge. Reheat slices in a hot dry skillet or a hot oven to bring the base back to crisp — the microwave will only make it floppy.
Margherita pizza FAQ
What flour should I use for pizza dough?
Italian "00" flour gives the classic tender, chewy Neapolitan crust. Bread flour is a good substitute.
Do I need a pizza stone?
It helps a lot — a preheated stone or steel gives the fierce bottom heat that makes a crisp, blistered base. A hot cast-iron pan can stand in.
Why is my crust tough?
Usually an oven that isn't hot enough, or over-rolled dough. Max out the heat and stretch by hand.
Fresh or low-moisture mozzarella?
Fresh mozzarella is traditional and tastes best — just tear and drain it well so it doesn't make the pizza wet.
Should I cook the tomato sauce first?
No. For a Margherita you simply crush good tinned tomatoes with a little salt and spread them raw — they cook on the pizza.