Pizza Margherita
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The Tale of Pizza Margherita
Story updated
Pizza margherita is popularly said to have been created in 1889 by Naples pizzaiolo Raffaele Esposito, who topped it with tomato, mozzarella, and basil to evoke the colors of the Italian flag in honor of visiting Queen Margherita — though food historians note the story may be partly legend, since similar tomato-mozzarella-basil pizzas likely predated it. Regardless, it remains the archetype of Neapolitan pizza worldwide.
Ingredients
Scale:· 4 servings
- 500g '00' flour
- 325ml warm water
- 7g active dry yeast
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 400g canned San Marzano tomatoes, crushed
- 250g fresh mozzarella, torn
- Fresh basil leaves
- Extra virgin olive oil for finishing
Instructions
- 1Dissolve yeast in warm water and let sit until foamy.
- 2Mix flour and salt, then combine with the yeast mixture and olive oil to form a dough.
- 3Knead until smooth and elastic, then let rise covered for about 1.5-2 hours until doubled.
- 4Divide the dough into portions and shape each into a ball; rest 15 minutes more.
- 5Preheat the oven with a pizza stone or heavy tray as hot as it will go.
- 6Stretch each dough ball into a thin round, top with crushed tomatoes, torn mozzarella, and a drizzle of olive oil.
- 7Bake quickly on the hot stone until the crust is charred in spots and the cheese is bubbling, just a few minutes.
- 8Finish with fresh basil leaves and a final drizzle of olive oil before serving.
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