Pizza Margherita, a savory blend of tomatoes and basil topping a yeasted dough base, is the classic pizza of Campania, Italy. Legend has it that the queen of Italy, Margherita of Savoy, wife of King Umberto
I, was served pizza while visiting Naples in 1889. The red, white and green toppings on the pizza—tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and basil—echoed the colors of the Italian flag. This style of pizza was named in her honor.
The key to achieving the most flavorful success with this pizza is to use fresh ingredients, a thin dough and a moderate amount of toppings. Pizza dough should be light and thin so that it doesn’t overwhelm the taste of the toppings,
but blends with the flavors.
Dough can be made with white or unbleached flour, a combination of white and wheat flours, or a combination of white and chickpea flour for a rustica flavor. The goal is a flexible, chewy crust rather than a crunchy crust. Some cooks
substitute cake flour for a portion of the white flour; this reduces the gluten in the wheat to give the softer texture.
The dough can be rolled or stretched until it is the desired diameter and about 1/3-inch thick. The sides should be higher than the center to hold the sauce and toppings. A thin layer of good-quality, extra-virgin olive oil spread over
the dough after it is shaped adds to the flavors. Dried oregano and a bit of salt and pepper can be sprinkled over the dough after it is shaped and just before adding the toppings.
Fresh, ripe plum tomatoes give the best result for the sauce. If fresh tomatoes are not available, a good brand of imported Italian peeled tomatoes with their juice will give a satisfactory result. The finely-diced tomatoes can be either
cooked, or merely tossed, with garlic, fresh basil and salt and pepper. Some cooks add red chili flakes or a minced dried red chili for a hint of complexity in the sauce without an overwhelming spiciness. The sauce is spooned over the
dough.
Fresh mozzarella is preferable to packaged, but packaged will do. Sliced thin, it is placed over the tomatoes. Some chefs add Parmesan or Romano cheese, while others go for the simplicity of flavors by using the mozzarella alone. The
fresh basil leaves are added last, dotting the top of the pizza. Many cooks use a pizza stone for baking.
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