Margherita Pizza

Post-Thanksgiving quiet week. The Bryants drove home Monday morning. Mama drove home Friday morning (she had stayed three nights instead of two because Brayden had a small cold Thursday and Mama had wanted to be sure he was on the mend before she left). Cody had reopened the cafe Friday morning at six AM. The apartment is back to its three-person rhythm.

Margherita pizza is the most famous and the simplest of the Italian pizzas — tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, olive oil, salt. The pizza’s economy of ingredients is its discipline. The crust does the structural work. The toppings sing only if every single one is its best version.

The technique question on margherita is the oven temperature. The pizza needs to bake at the highest temperature a home oven can produce (mine tops out at five-fifty), with the rack at the top position, on a pre-heated pizza stone or a heavy steel sheet pan that has been in the oven for forty-five minutes before the pizza goes in. The dough needs to be at room temperature and the toppings need to be at room temperature so the bake is fast.

Sunday I made one home pizza. Dustin had four slices. I had two. Brayden had a small piece of plain crust (no sauce, no cheese yet — we are introducing dairy gradually for him). The pizza was simple and excellent and the dish reminded me that the cafe-menu margherita pizza Cody had wanted to add to the pop-up was the right idea even though Mama had vetoed it on the cafe-side (margherita pizza does not fit the cafe’s Sapulpa-American-comfort identity).

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 12 minutes | Total Time: 27 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 lb pizza dough (store-bought or homemade), at room temperature
1/2 cup crushed San Marzano tomatoes or fresh tomato sauce
8 oz fresh mozzarella, sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 medium ripe tomatoes, thinly sliced
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
Cornmeal or flour, for dusting

Instructions

Preheat the oven. Place a pizza stone or heavy baking sheet in the oven and preheat to 500°F (or as high as your oven will go) for at least 30 minutes before baking.
Make the sauce. Stir together the crushed tomatoes, minced garlic, 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning. Set aside.
Shape the dough. On a lightly floured surface, stretch or roll the dough into a 12-inch round. Transfer to a piece of parchment paper dusted with cornmeal.
Top the pizza. Spread the tomato sauce evenly over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border. Arrange the fresh mozzarella slices over the sauce, then layer the sliced tomatoes on top. Drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with red pepper flakes if using.
Bake. Carefully slide the pizza (on the parchment) onto the hot stone or baking sheet. Bake for 10—12 minutes, until the crust is golden and charred in spots and the cheese is bubbling.
Finish with basil. Remove the pizza from the oven and immediately scatter the fresh basil leaves over the top. Slice and serve at once.

Nutrition (per serving)

Margherita Pizza