This is a blog post on making Margherita pizza from scratch at home. I love making pizza basically is because my family loves to eat them. It is a bit like the English cheese on toast. My Italian friends would definitely disagree with me, however!! Of course, there is tomatoes, basil, and lovely cheeses. Margherita pizza is a typical Neopolitan pizza made out of San Manzano tomatoes. Many Italians like it as it symbolizes the colour of Italian flag.
It is relatively simple to make at home without a pizza oven. I like making it as it only needs very few ingredients and you are done. It makes a great appettizer, party food, lunch and dinner as a simple meal.
Ingredients to make Margherita pizza base
I have tweaked a bit of the pizza base ingredients simply because it is just not necessary to use bread flour completely, Rather a combination of bread and plain flour would the pizza base lighter. My 80-year-old Italian neighbour told me this. As I was asking him how come I got two Italian recipes but one uses bread flour and other plain flour. Interesting fact.
Of course, there are also many different types of yeast that can be used. from naturally made ones to fast acting ones. I just use the fast-acting ones that are readily available in supermarkets here.
One thing I found that although Italian cooking doesn’t use many ingredients as Southeast Asian cooking does. Nor it is spicy or has many strong flavors at all. It depends on good quality ingredients. The outcome of the cooking depends very much on it. Quality of flour, tomatoes passata, cheeses, and basil leaves. But don’t fret and stress yourself if you can’t afford or find any. It will do but it is something to keep in mind.
Thank you for reading and dropping by do have a look at my other italian recipes like making Pesto sauce and Spaghetti bolognese sauce.
Margherita Pizza
How to make pizza at home using the hob and conventional oven without a pizza oven.
- hob
- conventional oven
Pizza base
- 200 grams bread & plain flour 50:50 ratio
- 7 grams fast-acting yeast
- 140 mls luke warm water
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Pizza topping
- 5-10 fresh basil leaves
- 50 grams mozzarella
- 20 grams grated parmesan
- 3 tbsp passata or good chopped tomatoes like Mutti
Making pizza base
This pizza base can seem a bit rather sticky but it is ok if you can cope with it. If you can't just add a bit more flour but not too much. Knead as much as you can. It is a bit like making bread. the good thing about making pizza is that the rise doesn't matter that much as bread making. Let to rise as long as you can near the radiator. Once it is rise it is ready to use. This recipe makes two pizzas
Pizza toping
Prepare the pizza topping. Like slicing the mozzarella, cleaning, and picking the basil leaves.
Cooking the pizza
This is home cook pizza. In order to prevent a soggy bottom. I pan fry the base of the pizza in a non-stick pan first. Of course, you can use a pizza stone that goes into the oven but I don't have one and I would rather not buy one as I don't eat that much pizza.
Preheat the oven at around 220 degrees Celcius. Once the dough is ready, spread it out as you would do in a widest frying non-stick frying pan. Turn on the hob and fry it on medium heat. Then add the toppings. Let the base cook the topping will slowly start to melt. this is now ready to go into the top shelf of the oven.
It is possible to put the frying pan into the oven if it is oven safe. If not just transfer it to a non-stick ovenproof baking tray. Bake on the top shelf of the oven till it is cook for about 10 minutes. Once the pizza dough starts to turn slightly brown it is ready.
