Italian pizza margherita. The classic recipe for margarita pizza, the nuances and secrets of cooking What is margarita pizza made of

Alexander Gushchin

I can't vouch for the taste, but it will be hot :)

Content

Refined, tasty, fragrant and simple Italian pizza Margherita is one of the most popular dishes in many countries. It must be on the menu of every pizzeria, but you can make a dish at home. Margarita is created not only according to the classic recipe, there are different cooking options.

How to make pizza margherita

Margherita pizza is the basis of the various types of this nutritious and appetizing dish. But this does not mean at all that it cannot be complete in terms of taste and aesthetic qualities. The minimum number of products and a little free time make it possible to create a simple but incredibly tasty pizza at home. As a rule, margaritas are cooked in a wood-fired oven, but an oven preheated to a temperature of 250-280 ° C (along with a baking sheet or baking dish) can be an alternative.

Pizza margherita composition

What does a standard dish consist of? The composition of Margherita pizza in a classic Italian version includes Mozzarella cheese, tomato sauce and fresh basil. Another mandatory ingredient is a thin, elastic dough, the thickness of which should be no more than 4 millimeters. It will take some time to learn how to cook such a base, so for the homemade version of Margarita, yeast dough of different thicknesses is used. The filling includes mozzarella in balls, sold in brine, but other types of cheeses are also suitable for pizza.

Margherita pizza dough

The basis of Margarita is a yeast cake. It should stretch and roll well. The result is a tender, airy dish with a juicy filling. You can knead the dough for pizza manually, using a mixer or a bread machine (“Dough”, “Pizza Dough” programs). The flatbread for making Italian muffins is strong, but at the same time soft and thin. If a piece of finished pizza folds in half without problems and does not break, then the dough is done correctly.

Margherita Pizza Sauce

An obligatory and integral component of the classic recipe is sauce. It is recommended not to use tomato paste, ketchup or store-bought tomato sauce. Margarita pizza sauce is better to cook with your own hands, exclusively from fresh tomatoes, onions, olive oil, garlic and fragrant herbs. If it is not possible to adhere to such rules, then the use of the finished product is allowed.

Margarita pizza recipe at home

At home, a dish from Italy is made not only according to the classical method, the Margherita pizza recipe is supplemented with various ingredients. Below are popular and delicious homemade baking options. Try fragrant pastries in Italian, on thin or regular dough, without yeast, on pita bread. Margarita can be cooked in the oven or in a pan.

Classic margarita pizza recipe

Cooking time: 2 hours 30 minutes.
Number of servings: 8 persons.
Calorie content: 210 kcal per 100 g.
Purpose: lunch, dinner.
Cuisine: Italian.
Difficulty: medium.

The classic pizza Margherita is a favorite dish in many families, adults and children adore it. Preparing this type of baking is simple, the main thing is to follow the step-by-step instructions. The filling for pizza is considered dietary, but the dish as a whole has an average calorie content. Margaritas are made first, and then the filling is prepared.

Ingredients:

For test:

wheat flour - 220 grams;
dry yeast - 1 teaspoon;
warm boiled water - 160 ml;
sugar and salt - ½ tbsp. l.;
olive oil - 1 tbsp. l. (and a little for lubrication).

For filling:

tomato sauce - 100 g;
fresh tomatoes - 3 pcs.;
olive oil - 1 tbsp. l.;
Mozzarella cheese - 250 g;
ground dried garlic - 5 g;
fresh basil - 1 bunch;
ground pepper.

Cooking method:

In a deep bowl, combine water with yeast. Stir, leave for five minutes.
We introduce the sifted flour, add butter, granulated sugar, salt.
Knead the dough by hand or with a mixer.
We roll the soft, elastic mass into a ball, put it in a container, greased with oil. Turn the ball over several times so that it is covered with fat on all sides.
Wrap the dough with cling film, leave for an hour in a warm place.
When it increases in size, knead it with your hands and roll it into a ball again.
We leave the mass, covered with a film, for another 15 minutes.
We lay out a sheet of parchment on the table, grease it with olive oil, sprinkle with a little flour.
We heat the oven to 220-250 degrees along with the baking sheet.
We spread the dough on baking paper, roll it out to a thin state.
Cut out a circle from the layer using a plate. We make several holes in it with a fork, leave to rest for 10-15 minutes.
Then carefully take the base by the edges, transfer to a baking sheet.
Combine garlic and oil in a deep bowl. Lubricate the dough with the resulting mixture.
Distribute the sauce on top, and put the Mozzarella sliced in circles on it.
Next, lay out thin mugs of tomatoes on the pizza. We pepper the filling a little.
Bake for 15 minutes until the base is golden brown.
Sprinkle the finished pizza with basil and serve.

Margarita pizza recipe in the oven

Cooking time: 50 minutes.
Calorie content: 192 kcal per 100 g.
Purpose: dinner.
Cuisine: Italian, European.
Difficulty: medium.

The next option on how to cook a hearty, mouth-watering dinner is the Margherita pizza recipe in the oven. This way of creating pastries is different from the classics, but it allows you to get an equally tasty result. The recipe uses two types of cheese, fresh tomatoes, ready-made tomato paste and mayonnaise (preferably homemade). You can decorate the dish not only with basil, fresh herbs (parsley, onion feathers) are perfect.

Ingredients:

flour - 300 g;
egg - 1 pc.;
kefir - 400 ml;
olive oil - 20 g;
fresh tomatoes - 3 pcs.;
onion - 1 head;
Mozzarella - 70 g;
hard cheese - 100 g;
mayonnaise, tomato paste - 25 g each;
soda - 0.5 tsp;
dried basil - 2 tsp;
parsley, green onion feathers.

Cooking method:

Rinse the onion, peel, cut into rings.
Pour boiling water over the tomatoes, free from the skin, chop into thin slices.
Grind hard cheese on a grater, and cut Mozzarella into slices.
Pour kefir into a deep bowl, pour soda into it and leave the ingredients until the surface of the mixture begins to bubble.
Add oil, egg, mix everything.
Gradually add flour. Knead the dough, similar in consistency to thick sour cream.
To get the sauce, combine mayonnaise, basil and tomato paste. Add a couple of tablespoons of water.
Preheat the oven to 200-220 degrees.
The baking sheet is covered with baking paper, the mass for the base is laid out in the center.
Spread the dough on the parchment in the form of a circle, grease evenly with the sauce.
Top with onion rings, tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, parsley sprigs and onion feathers.
Hide the dish under a layer of grated cheese.
Pizza Margherita is baked for 20 minutes.

Pizza margherita on a thin crust

Cooking time: 2 hours.
Number of servings: 4-5 persons.
Calorie content: 161 kcal per 100 g.
Purpose: lunch, dinner.
Cuisine: European, Italian.
Difficulty: medium.

Another way to prepare a nutritious dinner for the whole family or a treat for guests is the Margherita pizza recipe on a thin crust. If everything is done according to step-by-step instructions, you will get a delicious dish. No one can resist a tender cake with crispy sides and a spicy tomato filling. Aromas from home baking immediately catch up with the appetite.

Ingredients:

For test:

flour - 200 g;
fresh yeast - 10 g;
olive oil - 1 tbsp. l.;
water - 150 ml;
salt - ½ tsp;
sugar - 1 teaspoon.

For sauce:

tomatoes in their own juice - 250 g;
garlic - 1 clove;
salt - a pinch;
basil, marjoram, oregano - 0.5 tsp each.

For filling:

Mozzarella cheese - 200 g;
tomato - 2 pieces.

Cooking method:

First, the base for the pizza is made. Yeast and sugar dissolve in water.
Flour combines with salt, oil and liquid ingredients mixed earlier.
An elastic, soft dough starts. It is rolled into a ball, slightly oiled, covered with cling film and left for 40 minutes.
Next, prepare the sauce. Tomatoes are boiled over medium heat until thickened, spices, salt, chopped garlic are added to them.
Tomatoes for the filling are chopped into rings.
The dough is well rolled out, smeared with ready-cooled sauce.
Pieces of cheese are laid out on top of the base (separated by hand), tomatoes and cheese again.
Pizza Margherita is baked for 10 minutes at 230 degrees.
The finished dish is sprinkled with oil, decorated with basil.

Pizza Margherita - Recipe Without Yeast

Cooking time: 30 minutes.
Servings: 3-4 persons.
Calorie content: 220 kcal per 100 g.
Purpose: dinner.
Cuisine: European.
Difficulty: easy.

Do you want to serve a hearty and aromatic dish for dinner? For this, the step-by-step recipe is ideal - Margherita pizza without yeast. It involves the use of ready-made store-bought dough, but baking from this will not lose its taste. Herb olive oil, tomato sauce and Italian pickled cheese are also useful. Pizza Margherita without yeast is quick to prepare. It should be served hot.

Ingredients:

thin yeast-free dough - 1 pack;
Mozzarella cheese in brine - 150 g;
tomato sauce - 60 g;
olive oil - 1 tbsp. spoon;
fresh basil - a small bunch.

Cooking method:

Roll out the finished dough well, put on a baking sheet.
Lay tomatoes boiled in their own juice on top, spread over the entire surface of the base.
Next, lay out the cheese, divided into large parts.
Drizzle oil on top of margarita.
Bake for 15 minutes at 250°C.
Garnish with basil sprigs.

Pizza margherita on lavash

Cooking time: 35 minutes.
Servings: 4 persons.
Calorie content: 200 kcal per 100 g.
Purpose: dinner.
Cuisine: European.
Difficulty: easy.

Pizza Margherita on pita bread recipe with photo is an original, simple and surprisingly tasty dish. Its main advantage is that it is cooked right in the pan. A minimum of free time and an unusual dinner is ready. Even a culinary amateur can make such a pizza, the recipe is very easy. A simple recipe includes lavash (Armenian or Georgian), fresh tomatoes and mozzarella cheese.

Ingredients:

pita bread - 2 pcs.;
butter - 20 g;
ham - 150 g;
tomatoes - 2 pcs.;
cheese - 250 g;
dried basil;
salt.

Cooking method:

Unroll pita bread, brush with soft butter.
Grind the cheese on a grater, sprinkle half of the baking on it (not reaching the edge).
Lay the sliced ham on top.
Chop the tomatoes into rings, spread over 1/3 of the ham. Salt a little, sprinkle with basil.
Roll the pita roll. With the second, do identical manipulations.
Fry the pizza rolls on each side until golden brown.

How to make Margherita pizza - cooking secrets

Cooking Margarita pizza has several rules. If you stick to them, then a homemade dish will turn out no worse than Italian pastries. Here are the secrets of its creation:

It is recommended to use home-made dough, not store-bought. Knead it is softer than, for example, bread. It should be elastic, roll well and stretch.
To get a pizza that is as similar as possible to the original from Italy, you need to roll out the base thinner, otherwise you will get a regular cheese and tomato pie.
If there is no opportunity or time to make the dough at home, then you can purchase a ready-made yeast base. It is available in any major store.
Tomato sauce is also worth making at home, and not buying ready-made. So, the dish will be much tastier. Some housewives replace it with ketchup or ready-made tomato paste with spices.
To prepare a real Margarita, only Mozzarella is used. It is rubbed, cut with a knife or simply torn by hand. This does not affect the taste.
Before preparing the famous Italian dish, it is recommended to preheat the oven along with the baking dish. Pizza will bake faster and get a delicious crust.

Video: how to cook margarita pizza at home

Did you find an error in the text? Select it, press Ctrl + Enter and we'll fix it!

Discuss

Pizza Margherita - recipes with photos. How to make crust dough and toppings for homemade Margherita pizza

The history of cooking is inextricably linked with the history of countries and peoples. And here's what is remarkable: every famous and respected dish has its own history, and even more than one. For example, the famous Italian pizza Margherita. Do you know why it is called that way and what big names it is associated with?

This pizza owes its name to the name of the wife of the King of Italy, Umberto the First, Margherita of Savoy. One version of the origin of Margherita pizza claims that its author was the owner of the most popular pizzeria in Naples, Raffaello Esposito. According to another version, his wife Rosina prepared this pizza for the queen, and the third version gives authorship to the chef Pappino Brandi. By the way, it was the latest version that was documented in the form of a royal charter issued by Pappino.

Be that as it may, the pizza is really named after Margherita of Savoy and differs from all other pizzas in that it is colored like the Italian flag: green, white and red. Here is such a patriotic pizza - the food of the poor with the name of the queen and the colors of the national flag. And we just have to find out the recipe for its preparation and evaluate the appearance and taste.

Classic Pizza Margherita

It is believed that the recipe for the classic "Margarita" is the simplest, and its calorie content is so low that pizza is "safe" even for those who are on a diet. However, the low calorie content of pizza is a controversial statement, after all, it is baking. But the composition of the filling is really quite dietary. To prepare the classic Margarita, we need very specific ingredients:

Cereal flour (with the addition of cornmeal) - 2 cups;
Yeast - 7 g;
Water - 1 glass;
Salt - 1 tablespoon;
Olive oil - 1 tablespoon;
Sugar - 1 tablespoon.

For filling:

Mozzarella cheese - 200 g;
Parmesan cheese (grated) - 50 g;
Fresh tomatoes - 200 g;
Olive oil - 3 tablespoons;
Salt and pepper - to your taste.

Cooking:

To prepare the dough, mix dry yeast with sugar and pour them with four tablespoons. Stir the dough and leave in a warm place for fifteen minutes. During this time, the yeast will fit: the dough will foam and rise with a “cap”. Then mix the sifted flour with salt, put it in a bowl in a slide, and make a small depression in the center of the slide. Pour the dough, vegetable oil into this recess and, gradually adding the remaining water, knead the dough. The dough should be dense, but soft, so the amount of water may be slightly different from that indicated in the recipe (different flours have different amounts of gluten).

Cover the prepared dough with a towel or cling film and leave to rise for half an hour. While the dough is ripening, you need to prepare the filling. To do this, cut the tomatoes and mozzarella cheese balls into circles, and finely chop the basil leaves. Put the risen dough, which should “grow” twice, on the table and knead, then form a round cake out of it, transfer it to a baking sheet covered with baking paper, and stretch it with our hands to the desired size.

Remember that the pizza base should not be too thick - five to seven millimeters will be enough. Grease the dough with olive oil, spread slices of tomatoes and cheese on it, season with pepper and salt, and sprinkle with basil and parmesan cheese on top. Drizzle the pizza again with olive oil and send it to the oven for twenty minutes.

Note:

Some housewives advise to let the pizza stand for another fifteen minutes before baking. During this time, the dough will have time to rise again, and the pizza will turn out softer and tastier.

"Margarita" with canned tomatoes

The recipe for the classic Margherita is far from the only version of this famous pizza. And if the composition of the filling is practically unchanged (tomatoes, cheese, basil), then the methods of its preparation differ greatly. We offer you a Margarita recipe, which includes canned tomatoes.

Ingredients:

Yeast dough - half a kilo;
Canned tomatoes - 1 can (250-300 g);
Mozzarella cheese - 200 g;
Garlic - 3 cloves;
Sugar - 1 teaspoon;
Olive oil - 2 tablespoons;
Salt is up to you.

Cooking:

Cooking yeast dough for pizza according to the traditional version: flour, yeast, water, oil, salt. But the filling recipe here is special: we need to cook it in the form of a sauce. First you need to remove the canned tomatoes from the jar and peel them (if this is not done, then the lumps of skins in the sauce will spoil the taste and appearance of the finished pizza). Next, you need to chop (or chop in a blender) the tomatoes and put them in a pan with heated olive oil. Let the tomatoes boil, add salt, garlic, sugar and cook the sauce until it thickens.

Then you need to do the following. Cover a baking sheet with baking paper or simply grease it with vegetable oil, put the dough on a baking sheet, form a round pizza base out of it and generously grease it with sauce. It remains only to sprinkle the pizza with grated cheese on a coarse grater and bake in the oven.

Note:

This recipe is one of the options for pizza sauce. And you can make such a sauce with both canned and fresh tomatoes.

Russian version of Margarita pizza

Any recipe of national cuisine adapts sooner or later: it is not always possible to find original ingredients, and not everyone likes them. Margarita is no exception. In our country, they don’t see much difference between cheeses yet. Especially when it comes to pizza cheese. For our inexperienced taste, pizza with any cheese is good. Therefore, many do not bother looking for special cheeses (parmesan, mozzarella, ricotta) and add any hard cheese to the pizza.

Ingredients:

Wheat flour - 2 cups;
Yeast - 1 teaspoon;
Water - 1 incomplete glass;
Salt - 1 tablespoon;
Vegetable oil - 1 tablespoon;
Sugar - 1 tablespoon.

For filling:

Hard cheese - 250 g;
Fresh tomatoes - 200 g;
Green basil leaves - a handful;
Vegetable oil - 3 tablespoons;
Salt and pepper - to your taste.

Cooking:

To prepare the dough, pour the yeast into three tablespoons of sweetened water and let it rise (foam and rise). Mix flour with salt, add olive oil and suitable yeast there, and then, gradually adding water, knead a dense soft dough. Let's leave it to ripen for another half an hour.

Before cooking pizza, wash the tomatoes and cut them into rings, chop the cheese on a grater, and grease the baking sheet with vegetable oil or cover with baking paper. From the dough we will form a round or rectangular pizza base and put it on a baking sheet, and then grease the dough with oil, spread the tomato slices on it and sprinkle generously with grated cheese. Then we put the pizza pan in the oven, bake for twenty minutes, and decorate the finished pizza with basil leaves.

As you can see, Margherita pizza is very easy to make, and its recipe is one of the most famous pizza recipes for a reason. Therefore, cook the classic Margarita with mozzarella and parmesan, with sauce or fresh tomatoes, and if you want, try the Russian version of the famous Italian pizza. Better yet, try all the recipes and, as they say, feel the difference. Enjoy your meal!

Talk 0

Pizza "Margherita" (if we keep in mind the Italian classic recipe) is:

thin crispy dough without eggs, butter and other muffins. Only such a water / flour / salt dough can be an ideal basis for a juicy filling.
lots of mozzarella cheese
fresh ripe tomatoes or tomato sauce
green basil and oregano. No bow!

How to cook

We start with steam. Pour dry yeast (2 tsp) into a small container, pour 100 ml of warm water (not hot), add 1 tbsp. l. sugar, mix. We put the dough in a warm place for 10-15 minutes. This is the time the yeast needs as a boost. Thus, we check whether we have quality yeast, whether they can continue to do their job of raising the dough.

In the photo you can see a foamy yeast cap on the dough, which tells us that everything is going according to plan, we can continue kneading the dough.

Pour the yeast mixture into a larger bowl. Pour salt, add the remaining water (150 ml).

Now sift the flour into the dough (may take up to 3 cups of flour). The dough should be slightly sticky, but elastic enough to roll out.

When you have added about two glasses, stop. It is necessary to let the dough stand for a while so that the flour is properly moistened in the liquid, so that its gluten swells. In this case, the dough will be convenient for rolling out, will not tear, despite its tenderness and softness. Only after the dough has stood for 5-10 minutes, you can add oil. If you add it all at once, the oil particles will prevent the flour starches from being wetted, and the dough will turn out worse.

Add 1 tbsp. l. vegetable oil (you can use both olive and sunflower, corn). We mix.

Now sift the remaining flour and start kneading with your hands. We make sure that the dough looks smooth. Do not rush to add all the flour at once, even if you feel that the dough sticks to your hands. Be patient, after 6-8 minutes of kneading the dough will become smooth and uniform. The bonds between the particles of flour and liquid become stronger every minute, the dough changes its structure and becomes more obedient. This is the case when time works wonders.

Yeast dough should stand warm for 30 minutes in order to rise. I will share the method that I use =) I heat the oven for 10 minutes at a temperature of 50 ° C, turn it off, put the dough in the oven, covered with a damp towel. A low temperature and high humidity create the necessary conditions for a good rise of yeast dough. In addition, a damp towel prevents the top layer of dough from crusting (i.e. it does not wind).

Spread the increased dough at least twice on a cutting board or silicone mat, roll out a thin cake. This amount of dough is enough for three pizzas with a diameter of 24 cm.

For pizza "Margherita" you need to roll out the dough very thinly (2-4 mm). When finished, the dough should be crispy. In order to get an even circle, you can attach a plate to the cake and cut it with a sharp knife. It is convenient to roll out pizza on a parchment sheet to bake on it.

The dough is also ideal for thick Russian-style pizza. Roll out a thicker cake 0.8 mm-1 cm - and you get a cool pizza-pie with a lush crumb and juicy filling.

Where do you put the scraps of dough?

You can wind excellent buns with sugar. Roll out the rest of the dough, grease with butter, sprinkle with sugar and twist into tubes. Make a slit along the workpiece and turn it inside out. It turns out a pretty rose that needs to be sprinkled with sugar and baked. Before sending to the oven, grease the surface of the buns with yolk mixed with two tablespoons of milk.

Dough scraps come in handy to make delicious ones.

Tomato sauce for Margherita pizza

Lubricate the pastry with tomato sauce. You can cook it yourself or use ready-made

You will need 3-4 medium sized ripe tomatoes. Pour boiling water over the fruits and free from the skin. Put the pulp in a saucepan, add a minced garlic clove and cook for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened. You can add your favorite spices to the finished sauce. I love the way oregano "sounds" on pizza.

If you use ready-made sauce, choose with herbs, sweeter. You can use sweet ketchup.

Now spread the tomato rings on the surface, sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. In the photo I have one layer of cheese. This amount per pizza should be 3 times more. You can use soft pickled cheese paired with hard cheese, but real Margherita pizza is only made with Mozzarella.

Bon appetit!

The history of the origin of pizza "Margherita"

One day, the Italian Queen Margherita of Savoy wanted to taste the pizza that the poor people eat. The owner of the Neapolitan pizzeria, Raffaello Esposito, prepared three options for Her Highness, two pizzas are traditional, and the third is author's. The impromptu one consisted of red ripe tomatoes laid out in a circle, white mozzarella cheese and green basil. These three colors echoed the colors of the national flag of Italy, and it was this pizza that the queen liked the most.

I'd love to hear your feedback on the recipe! Tell us what kind of pizza your family loves, what toppings and toppings you use most often. If you have a photo of a cooked pizza on this dough, attach it to the comment, I will be very pleased. If you will post photos on Instagram, specify the tag #pirogeevo or #pirogeevo. Thank you!

Many people know that Margherita pizza is one of the most famous Italian traditional dishes, popular both in Europe and all over the world. However, not everyone knows what the legend about the origin of this pizza is.

It is believed that shortly after the unification of Italy in 1861, King Umberto I and Queen Margherita visited Naples. During her stay in this city, the Queen got tired of French cuisine, which was standard throughout Europe at that time. She asked the local culinary specialists to prepare something specific, Italian for her.

Local chef Raffaele Esposito, who worked at Brandi's pizzeria, came up with a special pizza with buffalo mozzarella, tomato sauce and basil. The queen liked this dish, so the pizza was named after her.

Chef Esposito was quite original because he simply used ingredients that match the colors of the Italian flag. Even today, Margherita is a symbol of Italian nationalism and an object of cultural pride.

To this day, many conservative culinary experts believe that the only true pizza is the Margherita. In fact, it can be called one of the three classic Neapolitan pizzas with a STG rating. This means that there are standard rules and methods for creating a real Margherita. The Italian classic Margherita pizza recipe has been followed to this day.

How is this dish prepared?

Of course, in the original version, pizza was baked in a stone oven, but nowadays modern ovens and ovens are used. But you can still cook the classic Margherita pizza recipe at home.

What is needed for this?

To prepare this dish, you will need the following:

For test:

1 sachet of active dry yeast;
2 glasses of warm water;
half a teaspoon of sugar;
4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling out
2.5 teaspoons of kosher salt;
extra virgin olive oil.

For filling:

400 grams of peeled whole tomatoes;
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano;
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra virgin oil coarse sea salt and freshly ground pepper;
1 kg buffalo mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
32 large basil leaves, torn apart by hand

How to do it?

The Italian classic Margherita pizza recipe (see the review for a photo of the dish) is as follows. In a large bowl, combine yeast with 1/2 cup warm water and sugar, let stand until frothy, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining 1.5 cups of warm water, 4 cups of flour and kosher salt, and mix until a soft dough forms. Place it on a well-floured work surface and knead, adding flour as needed, until a silky yet soft dough forms.

Use a wooden spatula to better knead the dough. Transfer it to a lightly oiled bowl and brush the top with olive oil. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or up to 3 days. Next, according to the classic Margherita pizza recipe, you need to do the following.

How to prepare pizza?

Transfer the dough onto a floured surface. Crush it and divide it into 4 parts. Form each piece into a ball. Rub each ball with oil and transfer to a baking sheet. Cover them with plastic wrap and leave to rise in a draft-free place for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, place the pizza tray in the oven, preheat the latter to 260 degrees. Heat the tray in it for 45 minutes. Pass the tomatoes through a meat grinder or chop them in a food processor. They should be crushed, but not mashed into a fine puree. Stir the resulting mass with oregano and one tablespoon of olive oil, season with salt and pepper. These are actions without which it is impossible to make a real, precisely according to the classic recipe, Margherita pizza.

How to bake "Margarita"?

On a lightly floured surface, roll out one ball of dough into a round cake (about 30 cm in diameter). Spread a quarter of the cooked tomato mass over its surface, leaving about 2.5 cm free edges. Then spread evenly a quarter of the chopped cheese, then pour one tablespoon of oil on top. Season with sea salt and pepper and place the pizza on the tray. Bake until bottom is browned and cheese is melted. This will take approximately 8 minutes. Sprinkle a quarter of the basil over the finished pizza and let it sit for 3 minutes before serving.

It is these actions that the classic Margherita pizza recipe suggests. Repeat all the above steps with the remaining dough and filling.

Whole wheat flour option

As you can see, the dough in the classic Margherita pizza recipe is made with white flour. But it is quite possible to diversify the composition of the dish and use flour from whole grains of wheat. It will seem strange to many, but a whole wheat flour tortilla does not have to look like cardboard. If you cook it correctly, you can make Margherita pizza more healthy and less calorie.

It is best to prepare this dough the day before you bake the pizza so that it has time to infuse. Also, the flavor always intensifies with a longer fermentation time. Next, you can cook Margherita pizza according to the classic recipe above. In total you will need:

5 cups whole wheat flour;
1 ¾ teaspoons of tea salt;
2 tablespoons olive oil;
2 teaspoons of tea sugar;
1 teaspoon instant yeast (active dry);
1¾ cups cold water plus 2 tablespoons;
1 tablespoon cornmeal.

How to make whole grain dough?

With a large metal spoon, mix all the ingredients in a deep bowl until completely combined. Then mix everything with a mixer on low speed for about 4 minutes, or until a ball forms. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes, then mix again at medium speed for 2 minutes. If it is too soft and sticky, add some flour.

Transfer the dough to a work bench, dust with flour to absorb surface moisture, then roll into a ball. Place in a bowl greased with olive oil and cover with plastic wrap. Let it rise at room temperature for one and a half, then remove, roll into a ball and return to the bowl, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Multi-cheese option

As can be understood from the above, the composition of Margherita pizza - according to the classic recipe - includes tomatoes, basil and mozzarella cheese. But, in addition to the original old version, many supplemented versions have appeared that are no worse in taste. Chefs often go to experiments and combine the composition of several dishes in one. This is how Margherita pizza with four cheeses appeared. This is a rather interesting version of the Italian classic. It's easy to make and the pizza is delicious!

For this interesting version of the dish, you will need:

1/4 cup olive oil;
1 tablespoon minced garlic;
1/2 teaspoon sea salt;
8 medium tomatoes, chopped;
2 (25 cm diameter) pre-baked pizza tortillas;
250 grams of shredded mozzarella cheese;
150 grams of shredded fontina cheese;
10 fresh basil leaves, washed and dried
half a glass of fresh parmesan cheese - grated;
half a cup of crumbled feta cheese.

How to cook pizza "Margherita" with four cheeses?

Mix olive oil, garlic and salt, combine with finely chopped tomatoes (without skins) and let stand for 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 200 degrees C.

Brush each pizza base evenly with the tomato paste. Sprinkle mozzarella and fontina cheese evenly on top. Arrange the rest of the tomato paste on top, then sprinkle with chopped basil, parmesan and feta cheese. Bake in preheated oven until cheese is bubbly and golden brown. This will take approximately 10 minutes.

Real Italian pizza Margherita includes only three ingredients in the filling - tomato sauce, mozzarella and green basil. Also a mandatory component of the recipe is a thin Italian dough, the thickness of which should not exceed 4 mm.

Freshly baked "Margarita" turns out to be tasty and satisfying, even without sausage / meat products included in the filling. If you insist on a meat version of pizza, you will surely like it.

Ingredients:

For test:

dry yeast - 1 teaspoon;
water - 130 ml;
flour - about 1.5 cups;
fine salt - 1/3 teaspoon;
olive oil - 1 tbsp. spoon;
sugar - ½ teaspoon.

For filling:

mozzarella cheese - about 150 g;
fresh tomatoes - 3-4 pcs.;
green basil - a few branches;
garlic - 2-3 teeth;
olive oil - 1-2 tbsp. spoons;
salt, pepper - to taste;
oregano (optional) - a pinch.

Italian pizza Margherita recipe with photo step by step

For the dough, dissolve the yeast in warm, pre-boiled water. The temperature of the liquid should be approximately 36 degrees. Add sugar and stir the mixture. We leave for 15 minutes.
After the specified time, add salt to the yeast solution. After sifting, we introduce about half a serving of flour.
Mix until smooth, then add olive oil.
Mix the flour mass again and gradually add the remaining portion of the sifted flour. Knead soft, plastic dough.
If necessary, increase the dosage of flour - as a result, the dough should not stick to the palms. Lightly grease the future base of our Italian pizza with olive oil, transfer to a clean spacious bowl and put it in heat for 1 hour.
How to make Italian Pizza Margherita
In the meantime, you can prepare the filling - we need to make tomato sauce. To do this, we wash fresh tomatoes, wipe them, and then with a sharp knife we make shallow cross cuts on the peel. We pour boiling water over the juicy fruits, and then immediately place the “hot” vegetables in a container of ice water. Next, remove the already softened vegetable skin.
Grind the pulp of tomatoes in a blender bowl to a mushy state. The resulting tomato puree is transferred to a saucepan with preheated olive oil. Simmer over low heat until thickened (about 20-30 minutes). Next, add the garlic cloves, peeled and passed through the press, sprinkle the mixture with salt and ground pepper to taste. We mix everything and simmer the sauce over low heat for a couple more minutes, after which we remove it from the stove and cool.
Knead the risen dough for a thin Italian pizza, and then roll it into a thin circle. You can divide the dough in half and make 2 small pizzas.
Carefully transfer the flour base to a baking sheet dusted with flour. Then grease the dough with cooled tomato sauce. Sprinkle oregano on top, and then lay out clean and dry basil leaves. We send our workpiece to a hot oven, bake for about 10 minutes. We maintain the temperature at around 200 degrees.
Next, we remove the almost finished pizza from the oven, sprinkle with snow-white cheese, cut into small pieces. Bake a couple more minutes. As soon as the mozzarella is melted, we take out the Margarita and cool a little.
We serve a colorful, mouth-watering pizza, garnished with fresh basil leaves and divided into portioned segments. A thin base and a rich filling with viscous cheese - it's deliciously delicious!