I love making pizza at home from scratch! If you’ve never made it from scratch, you absolutely should try it. And, it’s really not difficult!
What’s funny is that I have made so many different pizzas at home!:
- Penne Vodka Pizza with Smoked Gouda
- Meatball Pizza
- Fresh Herb Pesto, Salami, and Gorgonzola
- BBQ Chicken with Red Onions, Gorgonzola, and Smoked Gouda
- Loaded Chicago-Style Deep Dish
These are just a few ~ with the penne vodka and fresh herb pesto being my personal favorites! But, I’ve never actually made a plain Margherita pizza at home! The Meatball Pizza may have actually been the first time I made a pizza at home with a tomato sauce… I don’t do it often, in any case!
Generally, I’m a big fan of just coating the dough in olive oil and a TON of minced garlic and topping it with fresh tomatoes and sliced meats. But, I had a craving for a Margherita pizza so decided to make that to post.
Pizza dough is so simple to make. Unlike most recipes, I like to add 2 tablespoons of honey and a tablespoon of salt. The mixture add the perfect flavor to the dough! I have made pizza dough many times with whole wheat flour, so if you want a bit healthier pie, don’t hesitate to swap out the all-purpose flour for whole wheat flour! The recipe won’t be impacted. I’m not sure about gluten free flours, however, so I won’t comment on the effectiveness of swapping out for one of those.
Unlike some of the other dough I make, pizza dough is really simple. It doesn’t need to pass the windowpane test. Just work it until the dough is smooth and elastic, which is only a few minutes! There are some doughs that I let sit for a day or more ~ I am a huge fan of the 48 hour dough, which you can find in recipes like my penne vodka pizza linked above. Letting the dough rise and ferment for two days gives it more flavor. However, I’ve tried 72 hour dough and I find that is too long. The pizza ends up tougher and more cardboard like… yuck!
I often make my tomato sauces by roasting tomatoes in the oven. But, it’s not tomato season, so I didn’t want to spend a bundle on off-season produce. Instead, I got a can of quality whole tomatoes. Like many of my other tomato sauces, I added some red wine, balsamic vinegar, sun-dried tomatoes, and pesto. While the dough rises, the tomato sauce simmers over low with a piece of Parmesan rind to give the sauce an extra depth of flavor.
The longer tomato sauce simmers, the better for the flavor profile. But a good hour on the stove while the dough rises will give you delicious sauce for your pizza! In addition to throwing fresh basil and oregano on top of the pizza before baking it, I like to throw some extra on it after baking. The level of freshness it gives the pizza is irreplaceable!
It is so easy to modify a basic Margherita pizza. Throw some sliced salami, soppressata, or pepperoni on top if you don’t want vegetarian. Add fresh veggies if you want more vitamins! Just be wary of vegetables that generally leech of moisture, as that can impact the dough. Things like peppers, for example, are better if you sauté them lightly first, let them cool, and then pat dry with paper towels. Or stick with a simple Margherita pizza that is guaranteed to be the most flavorful Margherita pizza you’ve ever tasted!
Enjoy!
How to Make the BEST Margherita Pizza from Scratch
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Rise: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 24 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 34 minutes
- Yield: 6 to 8 servings 1x
- Category: Pizza, Italian, Vegetarian
- Cuisine: Dinner
Ingredients
Pizza Dough
500 g all-purpose flour
1 TB quality salt
1¼ cup warm water (around 105°F)
2¼ tsp active dry yeast
2 TBs honey
1 TB olive oil
Tomato Sauce
28 oz canned whole tomatoes
1 TB balsamic vinegar
⅓ cup red wine
6 garlic cloves, minced
⅓ cup pesto
⅓ cup sun-dried tomatoes, finely minced
parmesan rind
pinch of red pepper flakes
pinch salt and pepper
Toppings
fresh basil, plus more to garnish
fresh oregano, plus more to garnish
¾ lb fresh mozzarella, roughly torn
To Serve
red pepper flakes
finely grated Parmesan
Instructions
Make the Pizza Dough
In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the water, honey, and yeast. Let sit for about 5 minutes until there is about an inch of froth. Add the olive oil and whisk to combine.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook, mix together the flour and salt on low. Slowly add the yeast water to the bowl, pouring around the edges to push the flour down. Slowly increase the speed as the dough forms into a ball. Once a ball is formed, place the speed on high and let it work the dough for about 5 minutes.
Remove the dough from the bowl and form into a ball. Cut in half and form into two even sized balls. Lightly flour a baking sheet and place the two balls on top, spaced several inches apart. Lightly spray with a nonstick cooking spray or, with your hands, very lightly coat the tops with olive oil. Cover the tray with plastic wrap and let the dough sit until doubled in size ~ about 1 hour.
Make the Tomato Sauce
Once the dough is sitting for the 1 hour rise, start the tomato sauce. Heat a large sauce pan over medium heat and add the garlic. As the garlic dry roasts, add the tomatoes one at a time, crushing each one with your hands. Pour any remaining tomato sauce into the saucepan and use a wooden spoon to further break up the tomatoes, if needed.
Add the balsamic vinegar, red wine, pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, and Parmesan rind and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer and then reduce the heat to low. Let simmer until the dough is ready. Add a pinch of red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper and stir to combine. Taste and adjust the seasonings as necessary. Remove the Parmesan rind.
Make the Pizzas
Preheat the oven to 500°F. Lightly flour two baking sheets with flour (feel free to reuse the baking sheet the dough rested on!)
Lightly flour a work surface. Take the first ball of dough and flatten with your hands, pushing it down into a circle. Roll the dough out, turning every few rolls, to form a circle about 15 inches in circumference. It does not have to be a perfect circle!
Place the dough on the baking sheet. Add the desired amount of tomato sauce ~ roughly half. Sprinkle fresh basil and oregano over the top and then add half of the mozzarella cheese.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.
Repeat with the second ball of dough.
Slice and serve immediately, garnished with fresh basil and oregano. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes and Parmesan, as desired.
Enjoy!
Keywords: pizza, margherita pizza, traditional pizza, vegetarian pizza, cheese pizza, mozzarella cheese pizza, pizza from scratch, pizza tomato sauce from scratch
