Classic Margherita Pizza Recipe
A delicate, airy crust, ripe tomatoes, and melted mozzarella topped with aromatic basil. These are the essentials for a classic Margherita pizza—the ideal starting point for your exploration into homemade pizza. It’s also a dependable recipe when you’re craving something delicious and enduring.
Ingredients
- 9 ounces (250 grams) or 12 ounces (330 grams) Classic Pizza Dough
- Flour, for dusting
- 3 ounces (80 grams) crushed tomatoes
- 3 ½ ounces (100 grams) fresh mozzarella, torn into pieces
- 1 teaspoon (5 grams) extra-virgin olive oil
- Bunch of basil
Method
- Make sure to prepare your dough ahead of time to ensure it rises at room temperature before firing up your oven, about 4 hours before cooking. Make your sauce ahead, or pull it together in the time it takes to warm up your oven.
- Fire up your Ooni oven. Aim for 930 ˚F (500 ˚C) on the stone baking board inside. You can check the temperature inside your oven quickly and easily using an infrared thermometer.
- Using a small amount of flour, dust your work surface and your pizza peel.
- Stretch the pizza dough ball out to 12 or 16 inches (30 or 41 centimeters) and lay it out on your pizza peel.
- Top with sauce, followed by the mozzarella and olive oil, spreading both evenly on the dough and leaving room for the cornicione, or crust (about a ½ inch or 1 centimeter).
- Slide the pizza off the peel and into your oven and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, making sure to rotate the pizza every 20 seconds for an even bake.
- Once cooked, remove the pizza from the oven and top with whole, fresh basil leaves.
- Slice, serve and enjoy!
