Margherita Pizza

Pizza is popular with adults and children. She looks sunny and appetizing, copes well with hunger, appropriate at a family dinner and at a dinner party. The variety of components that can be included in its composition, allows you to create unique combinations, so that everyone can find a pizza to your taste. But the most popular and well-known in our country is the classic Italian pizza “Margarita”. It can be found in the menu of almost any pizzeria or Italian cafe. However, in order to try this unique dish, it is not necessary to go to a restaurant - Margarita pizza is easy to prepare at home.

Cooking Features

It is difficult to find a pizza easier than “Margarita” and tastes better. The thing is that, despite its apparent simplicity, Margarita has its own secrets. To make it at home as tasty as in a pizzeria, you need to know them.

It’s not worth buying a ready-made pizza base in the store. No matter how good she is, she cannot replace her homework. In addition, for “Margarita” does not fit any basis, but only made according to a special recipe. Outwardly, it looks like a recipe for ordinary yeast dough, but it still has its own nuances. So, in its composition must be present two types of flour: coarse and finely ground. Kneading the dough should be softer than for baking bread, so that it turns out to be soft and plastic. You also need to roll it thinly enough, otherwise, instead of pizza, you will get a loaf spread with tomato sauce with melted cheese.
The second secret of Margarita is in tomato sauce, which is also prepared according to a special recipe and cannot be replaced with the purchased one. Otherwise, we can talk only about imitation of exquisite “Margarita”. The sauce is made from fresh tomatoes with the obligatory addition of basil. Other herbs cannot replace it.
The classic “Margarita” is made without filling - immediately after the base of the sauce has been covered, the turn of cheese comes. And here, too, have their subtleties. For “Margarita” you can not use any kind of cheese. This Italian “Margarita” is made exclusively with mozzarella. Its harder varieties are cut into plates rather than rubbing. Balls of soft pickled mozzarella are simply divided in half by hand and stacked on top of the sauce.
Bake “Margarita” in a very hot oven, putting it on a hot baking sheet. Therefore, preheat the oven better in advance. Baking time is 15 minutes. However, if the base was baked in advance, the baking time can be reduced. But it is still better to use the raw base so that the result is a perfect Italian pizza, soaked in a delicate sauce.

The ratio of ingredients in the preparation of dough and sauce also matters. Therefore, do not take everything by eye - it is better to use the classic recipe.

Italian classic Margarita home-made pizza recipe

Ingredients (for pizza diameter 35 cm):

whole-wheat flour - 80 g;
finely ground wheat flour - 160 g;
dry yeast - 3 g;
olive oil - 100 ml (including 50 ml for the sauce);
tomatoes - 0.5 kg;
basil (fresh, preferably green) - 50 g;
salt - 5 g;
mozzarella - 150 g .;
water - 150 ml;
dry blend of Italian herbs (optional) - to taste;
garlic (optional) - 1 clove.

Method of preparation:

Mix flour and finely ground flour, sifting it twice before.
Yeast pour a tablespoon of warm, but not hot water.
Salt with flour.
Spread the flour in the center with your hands, pour 50 ml of olive oil and diluted yeast into it.
Start kneading the dough with your hands, pouring water in small portions. The dough should be kneaded with two hands for 10-15 minutes, until it becomes elastic.
Roll the dough into a bowl and place in a warm place. Wait until it rises. It will happen in about two hours.
Roll out the dough into a round cake with a diameter of at least 35 cm. It would be even better if you gently stretch the layer with your hands, trying to use the rolling pin as little as possible. The edges of the cakes should be slightly higher, forming barely noticeable sides that will not allow the sauce to spread further.
Boil water in the kettle and pour the washed tomatoes into it, leave for a couple of minutes. A couple of fruits before this set aside.
Remove peel from scalded tomatoes.
Cut the peeled tomatoes and remove the seeds with a small spoon so that only the flesh remains. Pulp chop the blender to a state of mashed potatoes or rub through a sieve.
If you want to add a savory flavor to the sauce, skip a clove of garlic through a press and mix with the tomato puree.
Tear off a few basil leaves to decorate “Margarita”, chop the rest of the basil in a blender or chop it very finely with a knife.
Mix tomato puree with basil, olive oil and dry mixture of Italian herbs. Pour into a small saucepan.
Place the saucepan with the sauce on the stove and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens. Salt it to taste, stir and remove from heat. Allow it to cool to room temperature.
Turn on the oven to maximum power so that it can warm up by the right time.
With thickened sauce, cover the base of the pizza thickly.
Cut the mozzarella on thin layers, spread the cheese over the whole area of the pizza.
Cut tomatoes previously cut into thin circles. Lay the tomato slices on top of the cheese.
Decorate with green leaves of fresh basil. If you have purple basil, you can use its leaves, and you can chop it up and sprinkle pizza with it.
Remove the heated baking sheet from the oven and place the Margarita on it. On a baking sheet before that you can lay a parchment.
Send the margarita to the oven and bake it at 250-280 degrees for 12-15 minutes.
Take out the pizza. Before serving, cut it with a special pizza cutter, as otherwise you can spoil its appearance.

According to this recipe, the pizza is juicy, aromatic and very tasty. In addition, its size will feed several people.

Simple Margarita Pizza Recipe

Ingredients (for pizza with a diameter of 25 cm):

yeast pizza dough - 0, 25 kg;
tomato sauce - 75 g;
olive oil - 10 ml;
green basil - 2 twigs;
tomatoes - 0, 15-0, 2 kg;
hard cheese (ideally parmesan) - 50 g;
mozzarella cheese - 100 g.

Method of preparation:

Grease a baking dish with olive oil and spread the dough over it.
Place the dough in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.
When the dough is lightly browned, remove it and cool to room temperature.
Smear dough with tomato sauce, better homemade.
Wash the tomatoes and slice them. It is better if the tomatoes are small. It is better to cut larger tomatoes into semi-circles, but this is less beautiful.
Cut mozzarella into slices or cubes.
Wash, dry basil, tear off pizza leaves.
Parmesan finely grate.
Spread tomatoes and mozzarella on top of the sauce.
Place the basil leaves on top.
Sprinkle with grated cheese.
Put the pizza mold in the oven. Bake at maximum temperature for 10 minutes.
Allow the pizza to cool slightly, carefully removing it from the pan.
Cut with a special knife and serve.

This already simple recipe can be further simplified by using a ready-made pizza base instead of dough. If you are afraid that it will not be easy to remove the pizza from the mold, you can bake it right on the baking sheet covered with parchment. But in this case it is necessary to knead the dough in the center, leaving a kind of fencing around the edges.

Pizza "Margarita" - a classic Italian cuisine. It does not require filling, because, despite the low-component composition, it turns out surprisingly tasty. However, often Margarita pizza serves as a base for making other types of pizzas. Anything can be used as a filling: seafood, mushrooms, chicken breast, sausage. The sauce can also be made slightly different if you add your favorite seasonings, fried onions, minced Bulgarian or hot peppers. But here it is already important not to overdo it, otherwise “Margarita” will not be recognized. To decorate the pizza, in addition to basil, you can use sliced olives, dill and other greens. Pizza "Margarita" is so good that it opens a huge scope for imagination.