Margherita Pizza
One of 70 entries · Provenance 1000 — Italian
Naples, Campania. Created in 1889 by pizzaiolo Raffaele Esposito for Queen Margherita of Savoy, representing the Italian tricolour: red (tomato), white (mozzarella), green (basil). Neapolitan pizza is protected by UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage status and the AVPN.
The Margherita is not a plain pizza. It is the benchmark by which all pizza is judged — the dish that reveals whether a baker understands fermentation, heat, and restraint. Tipo 00 flour, 48-hour cold-fermented dough, San Marzano DOP tomato, fior di latte mozzarella, fresh basil added after the oven. Nothing else. The cornicione should be charred, blistered, and hollow — not doughy, not cracker-crisp.
- Georgian khachapuri (yeasted, high-heat cheese bread — same fermentation and blistering principles); Turkish pide (boat-shaped flatbread with cheese, same open-oven technique); Alsatian tarte flambee (thin, high-heat flatbread with minimal toppings, same philosophy of restraint).
Falanghina from Campania — the grape of Naples, dry and mineral with slight volcanic character from Vesuvian soils. Or Peroni Nastro Azzurro lager, where carbonation cleanses between bites. For red: a light Aglianico from Campania, served cool.
Flour: Caputo Pizzeria 00 or equivalent — protein level 11-12.5% and fine milling produce an extensible dough that blisters correctly at high heat Fermentation: 48 to 72 hours cold fermentation in the refrigerator develops flavour compounds (acetic and lactic acids) that a 2-hour same-day dough cannot produce Hydration: 65% for home oven, 62% for wood-fired — higher hydration creates more open crumb and pronounced blistering The sauce is uncooked: crushed San Marzano DOP, salt, and a thread of extra virgin olive oil only — the oven cooks the sauce on the pizza Mozzarella moisture: tear fior di latte by hand and allow to drain on a cloth for 30 minutes before use — excess moisture steams rather than melts, producing a wet pizza Temperature: domestic oven at 280C maximum with a preheated pizza steel. Bake 6-8 minutes; finish 30 seconds under the grill for the top
Using buffalo mozzarella (mozzarella di bufala) on a baked pizza: the higher moisture content makes the pizza wet — buffalo mozzarella is for cold applications Rolling the dough with a pin: this degasses the fermented dough, destroying the bubble structure that creates an open, blistered cornicione. Stretch by hand only Overloading toppings: a Margherita has three toppings — sauce, mozzarella, basil. The base should be visible between the mozzarella Pre-baking the base before adding toppings: this produces a cracker-style base with no blistering
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- 320 g pizza dough (cold fermented 24–48 hours)
- 180 g San Marzano DOP tomatoes, crushed
- 250 g buffalo mozzarella (fior di latte), torn into 3 pieces
6 ingredients · 7 steps
Common Questions
Why does Margherita Pizza taste the way it does?
Falanghina from Campania — the grape of Naples, dry and mineral with slight volcanic character from Vesuvian soils. Or Peroni Nastro Azzurro lager, where carbonation cleanses between bites. For red: a light Aglianico from Campania, served cool.
What are common mistakes when making Margherita Pizza?
Using buffalo mozzarella (mozzarella di bufala) on a baked pizza: the higher moisture content makes the pizza wet — buffalo mozzarella is for cold applications Rolling the dough with a pin: this degasses the fermented dough, destroying the bubble structure that creates an open, blistered cornicione. Stretch by hand only Overloading toppings: a Margherita has three toppings — sauce, mozzarella, basil. The base should be visible between the mozzarella Pre-baking the base before adding toppings: this produces a cracker-style base with no blistering
What dishes are similar to Margherita Pizza?
Georgian khachapuri (yeasted, high-heat cheese bread — same fermentation and blistering principles); Turkish pide (boat-shaped flatbread with cheese, same open-oven technique); Alsatian tarte flambee (thin, high-heat flatbread with minimal toppings, same philosophy of restraint).