Recipe by Marcus Webb · Makes 4 pizzas · Medium
Why this pizza works
Great margherita is 70 percent dough. Our 48-hour cold ferment builds flavour and blisters you cannot get from a same-day dough, and a screaming-hot steel or stone does the rest — no wood oven required.
Less is more on top: crushed San Marzanos, torn fior di latte added late, basil after the bake, and good olive oil over everything.
Prep20 min + rest
Bake6 min each
Makes4 pizzas
LevelMedium
Ingredients
- 600g strong bread flour, 400ml water
- 7g instant yeast, 12g fine salt
- 400g tin San Marzano tomatoes, crushed
- 2 balls fior di latte, torn and drained
- Fresh basil, olive oil, semolina for dusting
Method
1
Mix the dough. Combine flour, water and yeast; rest 20 minutes, add salt and knead 8 minutes until smooth and elastic.
2
Cold ferment. Divide into four balls, oil lightly, cover and refrigerate 24–48 hours for flavour.
3
Heat everything. Put a steel or stone on the top shelf and preheat at maximum for a full hour.
4
Stretch. On semolina, press from centre outward, leaving a puffy rim. Keep it thin in the middle.
5
Top lightly. A few spoonfuls of tomato, half the cheese. Too much topping steams the crust.
6
Bake and finish. Launch onto the steel for 5–7 minutes until blistered. Add basil and olive oil.
Kitchen notes
Drain the mozzarella
Wet cheese is the top cause of soggy centres. Tear, salt lightly and drain for 20 minutes.
Steel beats stone
A pizza steel transfers heat faster than stone, giving a puffier rim in a home oven.
Launch with confidence
Hesitation sticks the pizza. One quick forward-and-back shake of the peel and commit.
