Margherita-style classic pizza

Ingredients

Dough (for 2 pizzas)

• 500 g strong bread flour
• 7 g dried yeast
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 320 ml warm water
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Tomato sauce

• 1 × 400 g tin chopped San Marzano tomatoes
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Salt to taste

Topping

• 200 g fresh mozzarella, torn into pieces and drained on kitchen paper for 30 mins
• Small handful fresh basil leaves
• Drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil
• Pinch of flaky sea salt

Method

1. Dough. Mix, knead, cold-ferment overnight (24–48 hours ideal).
2. Sauce. Crush tomatoes by hand. Stir in garlic, olive oil, salt. Don’t cook.
3. Stretch. Pan-crust thickness — don’t stretch too thin.
4. Top. Sauce in a thin layer. Pieces of mozzarella — don’t blanket the whole pizza (gaps are good).
5. Bake. 230°C oven, 10–12 minutes. Pan crust needs slightly longer than Neapolitan.
6. Finish. Scatter fresh basil AFTER baking. Drizzle of olive oil. Pinch of flaky sea salt.

Tips

• Fresh mozzarella is wet. Drain it on kitchen paper for 30 minutes before using. Skip this and your pizza is soupy.
• Basil AFTER baking. Heat destroys basil’s flavour — it’s an aromatic, not a cooking herb.
• Quality olive oil makes a difference. The drizzle is the finishing touch — don’t use the cheap stuff.