BEST Homemade Margherita Pizza
My search for the best homemade margherita pizza (made in a standard oven with everyday ingredients) is over! You’ll want to make this homemade pizza recipe over and over again. For step-by-step dough instructions, check out the margherita pizza video below!
The time has come! I’ve been teasing you on Instagram for weeks, and I sincerely apologize. I was busy eating this margherita pizza.
Ok, so let me be honest. I rarely ever, EVER tell you that a recipe is the best of anything. Let alone, put it in caps! Sure, I’ll say that something is delicious, but declaring such bold statements generally makes me extremely uncomfortable. I’m terrified that you will go home and make said best-ever-recipe and be disappointed. I would hate that.
But I’m feeling very good about this best margherita pizza recipe and I’m confident that you will love it.
I’m not an authority on homemade pizza by any means, but I’ve definitely eaten my share of pizza, both excellent and not so great.
The best margherita pizza that I’ve ever eaten in my entire life was in Naples, Italy a few years ago during our trip to the Amalfi Coast. We stood in line in a cobblestone street just off of Via Tribunali in the historic neighborhood (known for having the best pizza places in the entire world), and snagged a table at the famous Gino Sorbillo.
It’s always a good sign when you’re in Italy and a million other Italians are standing in line for the exact same pizza. No tourists, just Italians. It wasn’t fancy in the slightest. There was a disco light hanging from the ceiling and the cups were of the flimsy plastic variety.
Oh, but it was glorious. The pizzas cost only three euros and arrived flopping off of the plates. Literally, flopping. They were huge. I ate every last bite of that pizza and came back for another one the very next day.
So, when I say that today’s recipe is the best homemade margherita pizza, I’m taking all of these pizza-eating experiences into account. I’m not going to claim that this pizza tastes identical to a true Neapolitan pizza or that you’ll never taste a better pizza outside of your kitchen again. That would be ludicrous (and slightly obnoxious) and just not true.
But I do believe that this is the best margherita pizza that you’ll be able to make in your own kitchen, with a standard oven, with normal everyday ingredients (no fancy flours required), and without preparing an incredibly time-intensive pizza dough days in advance.
Homemade Pizza Equipment Recommendations:
First things first. Let’s talk equipment. A baking stone or steel is a must for great pizza at home. A few years ago, I replaced my traditional baking stone with a baking steel. It is a game-changer.
Baking steels are expensive, but I genuinely believe they are 100% worth the investment if you are interested in making pizza or bread at home. Baking steels absorb the heat from your oven and allow you to mimic brick-ovens, which generally reach temperatures in excess of 800 degrees Fahrenheit. They help you achieve crispy crusts by pulling moisture from whatever dough you are baking, including pizza crusts.
I also recommend a pizza peel, because it will make pizza-making so much easier. Wooden or metal, it will allow you to slide the pizza quickly onto the baking stone and make it much easier to remove the pizza from the oven once it is done.
If you don’t own a pizza peel (or don’t want to own a pizza peel), you can use the back of a large baking sheet or flat cookie sheet to transfer the pizza onto the stone – but it is tricky!
Tips for Margherita Pizza Success:
For the best margherita pizza, you will want to preheat your oven to the highest temperature possible. For my oven, that is 550 degrees Fahrenheit. I allow my baking steel to preheat for at least 30 minutes (regardless of whether my oven is ready as it takes time for your baking stone to come to temperature). The higher the temperature the better.
This recipe makes two 10-inch pizzas, and they should be able to properly cook in 7 to 8 minutes at that temperature.
Best Homemade Margherita Pizza
Ingredients
Homemade Pizza Dough:
- 2½ cups (300 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon active dry yeast or SAF instant yeast
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 7 ounces (105°F to 115°F) warm water
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- semolina and all-purpose flour for dusting the pizza peel
Pizza Sauce:
- 1 cup pureed or crushed canned San Marzano tomatoes (or canned Italian plum tomatoes)
- 2-3 fresh garlic cloves grated with a microplane or pressed
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil plus more for drizzling
- 2-3 large pinches of kosher salt to taste
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Toppings:
- 2-3 tablespoons finely grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese plus more for serving
- 7 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese (not packed in water) cut into ½-inch cubes
- 5-6 large fresh basil leaves plus more for garnishing
- dried red pepper flakes optional
Instructions
- Prepare Pizza Dough: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, sugar, yeast and salt. Add the warm water and olive oil, and stir the mixture with a wooden spoon until the dough just begins to come together. It will seem shaggy and dry, but don’t worry.
- Scrape the dough onto a well-floured counter top and knead the dough for three minutes. It should quickly come together and begin to get sticky. Dust the dough with flour as needed (sometimes I will have to do this 2 to 3 times, depending on humidity levels) – it should be slightly tacky, but should not be sticking to your counter top. After about 3 minutes, the dough should be smooth, slightly elastic, and tacky. Lightly grease a large mixing bowl with olive oil, and place the dough into the bowl.
- Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel (or plastic wrap) and allow the dough to rise in a warm, dry area of your kitchen for 2 hours or until the dough has doubled in size. Proofing Tip: If your kitchen is very cold, heat a large heatproof measuring cup of water in the microwave for 2 to 3 minutes. This creates a nice warm environment. Remove the cup and place the bowl with the dough in the microwave until it has risen. [If you are preparing the dough in advance, see the note section for freezing instructions.]
- Preheat Oven and Pizza Steel or Stone: Place the pizza steel (or stone) on the second to top rack of your oven (roughly 8 inches from the broiler element), and preheat the oven and steel (or stone) to 550°F (285°C) for a minumum of 1 hour. If your oven does not go up to 550°F (285°C) or you are using a delicate pizza stone, I recommend heating it to a maximum of 500°F (260°C)
- As the oven is preheating, assemble the ingredients. In a small bowl, stir together the pureed tomatoes, minced garlic, extra virgin olive oil, pepper, and salt. Set aside another small bowl with the cubed mozzarella cheese (pat the cheese with a paper towel to remove any excess moisture). Set aside the basil leaves and grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese for easy grabbing.
- Separate the dough into two equal-sized portions. It will deflate slightly, but that is OK. Place the dough on a large plate or floured counter top, cover gently with plastic wrap, and allow the dough to rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Assemble the Pizza: Sprinkle the pizza peel (if you do not own a pizza peel, you can try using the back of a half sheet pan - but it is tricky!) with a tablespoon of semolina and dusting of all-purpose flour. Gently use both hands to stretch one ball of pizza dough into roughly a 10-inch circle (don’t worry if its not perfectly uniform). If the dough springs back or is too elastic, allow it to rest for an additional five minutes. The edges of the dough can be slightly thicker, but make sure the center of the dough is thin (you should be able to see some light through it if you held it up). Gently transfer the dough onto the semolina and flour dusted pizza peel or baking sheet.
- Drizzle or brush the dough lightly (using your fingertips) with olive oil (roughly a teaspoon. Using a large spoon, add roughly ½ cup of the tomato sauce onto the pizza dough, leaving a ½-inch or ¾-inch border on all sides. Use the back of the spoon to spread it evenly and thinly. Sprinkle a tablespoon of parmigiano-reggiano cheese onto the pizza sauce. Add half of the cubed mozzarella, distributing it evenly over the entire pizza. Using your hands, tear a few large basil leaves, and sprinkle the basil over the pizza. At this point, I’ll occasionally stretch the sides of the dough out a bit to make it even thinner. Gently slide the pizza from the peel onto the heated baking stone. Bake for 7 to 8 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbling and caramelized and the edges of the pizza are golden brown. Note: If you're looking for more color, finish the pizza under the low or medium broil setting, but watch it carefully! Remove the pizza carefully from the oven with the pizza peel, transfer to a wooden cutting board or foil, drizzle the top with olive oil, some grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese, and chiffonade of fresh basil. Slice and serve immediately and/or prepare the second pizza.
- Serving Tip: If you’re serving two pizzas at once, I recommend placing the cooked pizza on a separate baking sheet while you prepare the other pizza. In the last few minutes of cooking, place the prepared pizza into the oven (on a rack below the pizza stone) so that it is extra hot for serving. Otherwise, I recommend serving one pizza fresh out of the oven, keeping the oven hot, and preparing the second pizza after people have gone through the first one! The pizza will taste great either way, but it is at its prime within minutes out of the oven!.
Video
Tips for Success:
- Semolina flour has a higher burn point than regular flour, and ensures that the dough will not stick to the peel when transferring the pizza to the oven.
- There is no need to dissolve the yeast in warm water before using (as commonly believed). Active dry yeast has been reformulated in recent years to contain significantly smaller granules and will not have trouble dissolving into the dough. However, it is important to ensure that your active dry yeast is indeed alive and well. Double check your expiration date and when in a doubt, proof it.
- If preparing the dough in advance: once the dough has rested for two hours, separate into two portions, wrap each piece of dough well in plastic wrap, and place them in a freezer-safe bag. The dough can be chilled in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours or frozen for 3 months. Thaw the dough in the refrigerator, and allow it to stand at room temperature (in a greased bowl, covered with a kitchen towel) for at least 30 minutes before using.
196 Comments on “BEST Homemade Margherita Pizza”
What the heck is a baking steel? You mention it several times.
Hello! It is similar to a baking stone but made out of steel. It makes it a lot more durable and it also holds heat better! Hope this helps!
tried two times, second time was better but my dough never rose at all, i live in florida so i think the air was warm enough, i used a thermometer for water temp, and i just bought the yeast last night .. it tastes good but i wish i didnt waste so many hours. ill probably use a different recipe for dough or store bought until i figure out whats wrong the only thing i think it could be is my flour is bleached not unbleached like it calls for. the sauce turned out great and i cooked it at 500 on a normal baking sheet it was great idk what a pizza stone is haha i have to learn.
My dough never doubles in size, any ideas?
If You don’t have a pizza peel I use parchment paper, then put it on the pizza stone for one to two minutes, then grab a spatula and hold the pizza, then grab the paper and pull it right underneath it. It’s almost like the magician, pulling the tablecloth and not ruining the dinner ware
Hi Laura,
I ADORE the simplicity and results of your recipe! I do a few things differently in the process of transferring my pizza to the baking steel. Firstly, I preheat my pizza stone on a different rack, but @ the same time as my steel. I preheat for two hours on convection @ 510°… my oven automatically converts it to 485°. Secondly, I form my pizza on a sheet of parchment paper. Carefully removing the pizza stone onto a heat safe surface, I transfer the pizza on the parchment paper to the stone and then place it on top of my baking steel. This removes the messiness I always seem to invite during the semolina transfer step, lol. After baking, the parchment paper easily slips out from under the pizza on the stone! This method ALWAYS produces a beautifully baked pizza in 8 minutes. Thank you for sharing your recipe💝! Bon appetit!
Smiles,
Karen
Hi,
I have been using your recipe for years to make pizza at home. Today while making the pizza I felt that my sauce was very watery. I used 1 can of the San Marzano – whole peeled tomatoes. Wondering if you have experienced that and how do you fix this issue.
Thanks!
Sorry for the delay! Sometimes it really depends on the brand of San Marzano’s (or just canned tomatoes in general). I’ve found some brands to be much thicker than others. Also, try not to over process it too. If you’re still struggling with it being too thin, use a slotted spoon to remove the tomatoes – leaving the juice behind for other purposes, such as soups, etc. – and stick with those. Hope this helps!
This recipe is great! I don’t have a pizza stone or baking steel, so I used my large cast iron skillet. It turned out great!
Need to correct my review that was posted June 30, 2023. I used Bob’s Red Mill 00 Premium Italian-Style Flour to make the crust. I used semolina on the foil to place my dough on. Sorry for the mix-up.
This recipe turned out so great. Definitely going into dinner rotation. I did do some things differently. Doubled the recipe and used my Cuisinart Bread Maker to make the dough. Used Bob’s Red Mill 00 Semolina flour. Activated the yeast with sugar and warm water before adding it to the bread maker. Took 90 minutes for dough setting to complete. Cut into four 9-oz pieces. Rolled each out to about 12”. THANK YOU TO THE COMMENTOR WHO SUGGESTED USING ALUMINUM FOIL. Spread semolina flour onto a sheet of foil and placed rolled out dough onto it. Spread the tomato sauce on dough. (I did heat the sauce with garlic, salt, black pepper and olive oil.) Placed 12-14 fresh mozzarella cheese balls on top of sauce. (I used Galbani Fresh Mozzarella Marinated with oils, herbs and spices from Costco.) Used the metal pizza peel to place the foil/pizza onto the pizza steel in 550 degree oven. (My pizza steel is Lodge cast iron.) 8 minutes later, removed foil/pizza with the pizza peel and placed on a pizza pan. Sprinkled with Pecorino-Romano cheese (Costco) and chiffonade of fresh basil. Then took the pizza off the foil and cut it on a cutting board. Sooooo good. I ate the entire pizza myself as I prepared the next one.
Great Pizza recipe the sauce is delish, added a bit of italian seasoning. Used a a pizza stone in a 550 degree Thermador oven but the center was still a bit gooey after about 15 minutes baking. Used red Yeast expiration date 9/22. Any suggestions?
Interesting – I have never experienced that before, but have two possible ideas that might be causing it – 1) did you preheat the stone for at least 1 hour? This is incredibly important, especially when using a stone or steel, even if your oven says that it has ‘preheated’, they really need a lot more time and the stones need even more time, 2) Be very careful not to overload pizza toppings, particularly sauce and anything else you might have used. You want to be extra light or it can lead to sogginess. Also, be sure to get the dough thin. I hope this might offer some insight! The yeast is definitely not the problem. Thanks for your comment!
Does the sauce need to be puréed or heated?
The canned tomatoes are pulsed to make smoother, but no – no cooking. This is the traditional way that margherita pizzas are made, hope this helps!
Would this still be good if you used premade pizza crusts? I don’t have a pizza stone and pizza peel. Or, what could I use in place of those things?
You can certainly use the recipe as a guide to make the toppings – those will taste good, but I’ll be honest and say that the crust and way that the crust is cooked makes a huge difference in the overall flavor. With that said, go for it!
This is one of my favorite pizza dough recipes. I generally like Italian flour however, this all-purpose flour is pretty darn good. I would like to add, the longer the rise the better.
Yes! 100% agree with this. I have a sourdough pizza dough recipe which is now my go-to and do generally prefer 00 flour, but it really isn’t accessible to most people so this is an easy option that delivers. Thanks!!
Tasty but the instruction is a bit lengthy.
Use this recipe once a week – have to improvise a bit and use a cast iron to crisp the bottom before transferring to oven but the recipe itself is great
Fabulous ! Exactly what I was looking for in a Margherita pizza!
If we’re making homemade pizza, we ALWAYS use this recipe!!! It truly is the best!!
This is one of my favorite pizza recipes of all time, it never seems to fail me! Every time I make it, people always ask for more. I was curious, if I was to leave it in the fridge for 48 hours rather then 24, how might that affect the dough?
About how many ounces of dough does this make?
I’d need to retest to come up with an exact weight for you, but it makes 2 (10-11 inch) pizzas if that’s helpful.
By far THE BEST recipe… we made this for our family when everyone was coming into town ahead of Thanksgiving, and thought it would be fun for the kids. We rarely ever ate pizza – now everyone asks for it – adults and kids. Simple and second to none! Thank you so much!
So happy to hear this!
All I got to say is YUM!
I did not have semolina flour but I used cornmeal and it turned out fine.
This is an excellent recipe! The pizza is SO good. My husband and I have made it twice and really enjoyed it as a date night in! It’s so fun to feel like we are eating restaurant pizza, but it was homemade!
Question, have you ever made extra dough and frozen it after it had risen? We made some and froze it, but I wasn’t sure if you had any info on baking instructions for that. Thanks for a great recipe!
Hi Natalie! Glad to hear that. I haven’t tested this particular dough frozen quite yet to give complete (tested) instructions, because I generally just find that pizza dough is better made fresh, but I will add this to my list of things to do soon 🙂
I followed the directions exactly as written. I’m new to making dough, and this turned out perfect. The entire recipe was delicious and I will be making it again.
I just made this recipe using a flat bread & it is my favorite. I love Cheese pizza & Italian cheese. I will be making this one from now on.
I used fresh tomatoes and my sauce seemed a bit runny so I reduced on the stove top while my dough was rising. I also added a little garlic powder and oregano to the dough because I like my crust to be savoury. I didn’t have fresh mozzarella so I used a block, I also don’t have a pizza stone so I just made and baked the pizzas on a cookie sheet. Even with all of the changes I had to make, the taste and crispness of the crust were amazing. My husband even said it was very good and he is a tough critic.
I made this using 1/2 teaspoon of yeast as directed (so not even close to a full package of yeast). Is that right? I’ve never not used a whole package. The dough didn’t rise much at all. I’m wondering if I was supposed to use the packet of active dry yeast?
Hi Margaret. Yes, it is correct, but I plan on testing the dough this week and see if it needs any tweaks. If you’re having issues, I recommend using instant yeast – if you want a faster rise (though the flavor is not quite as good), use 2 and 1/4 teaspoons. Also, be sure to make sure you’re measuring your water temp and finding a warm place to put your dough – if your home is cold or drafty, it will take significantly longer for the dough to rise, especially this one!
Laura: I am definitely going to try your pizza recipe soon – I will post my comments here when I am done and let you know how it worked out. In the meantime, if you are ever in the Philadelphia, PA area I highly recommend that you try Ravanesi Pizzeria Napolitana in Glen Mills, PA. David Ravanesi makes the best Naples-style pizza I have ever tasted, and there are hundreds of people (maybe thousands!) in the local area who agree with me. Just check out his reviews on Google and you will see what I mean. Check out his website: https://ravanesipizza.com/
Looks great! Will definitely keep that in mind if I’m in the Philly area.
Bravo! This is a great recipe! Made it tonight. Best margherita pizza ever! No more ordering out. Thank you.
This is my family’s favorite pizza recipe. We make it every Friday! So simple and delicious. It’s replaced ordering pizza 100%!
This is legit the best Margherita pizza I have ever had! Like better than any pizza I’ve ever had at a restaurant good. I’ve made this a dozen times by now. The crust is amazing and comes out every time. I triple the sauce when I make the pizza because I make it and freeze the rest of it for the next time! I find using corn meal allows the pizza to transfer more easily into the oven using a thin baking sheet (I don’t own a peel).
SO delicious! I’ve been making pizza on Fridays for years, since our kids were little and we did Friday movie nights. I have a go-to dough recipe which has always been good, and I’ve recently ventured into sourdough crust, which is wonderful.
I tried your recipe for the first time a week ago, and have already made it a second time. It was fantastic! I followed the recipe for the dough exactly, (even though the teeny amount of yeast was scary!) and the crust was perfect!
Using the tomatoes for the sauce was ridiculously easy and the BEST!
Thanks so much! We will be making this over and over again.
This pizza is DELICIOUS. I’m a college student, so I live in a tiny apartment with very minimal cookware, sharp knives, and quality ingredients. I decided to buy store bought dough (the kind in a ball that you roll out yourself) and it still worked perfectly and came out delicious. The San Marzano tomatoes are NO JOKE. If you’re going to use one single specific ingredient in this recipe, it’s these tomatoes. The sauce is absolutely amazing. My boyfriend added prosciutto to his pizza and it was delicious. I don’t think I’ll ever find a better margherita pizza recipe!
So thrilled to hear this!! Thank you for the great feedback Lena!
Any input on how long the sauce will keep either refrigerated or frozen? I find a can of San Marzano tomatoes typically makes about 4 times the required amount for this recipe, and it’s such a good sauce that I hate to see it go to waste.
The actual sauce should be able to keep in the fridge for about a week, but you can freeze the remaining whole canned tomatoes and defrost in advance – they’ll hold up well for at least 3+ months.
I tend to use any leftovers in things like soup or other recipes, but they can absolutely freeze very well!
I followed this recipe today to make my first homemade pizzas. Everything went perfectly! Thank you for the easy to follow steps for the perfect dinner for my family.
Yay! So happy to hear that.
Amazing! We love making homemade pizzas but have never made our own Margherita. This was ?. Definitely going on the regular pizza night menu. Thank you!!!
Wow, thanks your recïpe cracked and broke my pizza stone!! My husband kept saying “ why do you have the oven so hot”? 550 deg. I told him, “that’s what the recipe says”!
Hi Laura. Older pizza stones – especially ones that are thin or potentially lower quality – can occasionally crack for many different reasons, it just sometimes happens unfortunately. They should easily be able to withstand 550 degrees (there is no way that a 50F degree difference would be a breaking point for most pizza stones), especially if they are gradually heated. Thick pizza stones are the base of outdoor pizza ovens that are heated to in excess of 850 degrees Fahrenheit. It sounds like bad luck or due to another potential issue, if you Google it, there are different theories for why this can happen.
Again, I’m not in your kitchen nor know any other factors that could be at play (your individual oven, how you take care of your stone, what kind of stone you own, etc.), so while I apologize that this happened to you, it’s not reasonable or even fair that you’re blaming me for this.
I actually cracked two pizza stones trying this recipe, one older and not used often and one fresh out of the box. Both from pampered chef. Turns out I was using mozzarella that was too wet. But the pizzas that cracked the stones were so delicious that I kept trying! I got a pizza steel and haven’t had another problem with it since.
I’m really sorry to hear this, but I think this is very very unusual unless the temperature difference between the oven and stone causes “shocking”. I’m not familiar with the Pampered Chef pizza stones, but always recommend a steel over a stone if you have the budget for it! It works much better and doesn’t run the risk of cracking.
Tried this last night and the ingredients were DELICIOUS! (Purchased a stone just for this recipe).
But, Laura, my dough did not rise; I tried your microwave trick, covered with a towel for over 2 hours and I got nothing…I used it anyway but I’m wondering what could have gone wrong? I measured and followed all the steps…any ideas?
Thank you!
Hi! Have you tested your yeast to make sure it’s alive? Or perhaps you have a very cold kitchen? I’d try a new package of yeast and see if that helps! xo
Laura, sorry for the late reply! No, I think I might have tried ‘dead’ yeast. If I follow the ‘sell by date’ am I ok? Thank you for your reply!
Usually you are! You might want to test it. Red Star Platinum yeast (or SAF) is green stuff and should usually be fine! Maybe try a warmer spot in your kitchen too!
Not a bad start and you have some definite “don’t do’s” in there. 1 thing I would recommend is to use Jim Lahey’s dough method. This is good in a pinch but you said the “best you can make at home” and only a 16-20 hour dough will get you to that level. Pizza looks great and the rest of what you said is spot on.
3 cups flour
1.5 cup water
1/8 tsp yeast
1.5 tsp salt
Mix together until not so sticky and cover for 12 hours. Punch down and then again after 2 more hours and then the dough is ready. Takes a while but it is worth every bite!
Hi! Do you do anything to make the sauce/mix the sauce ingredients before putting it on the dough?
Hi! Not sure what you mean by this – yes, the tomato sauce ingredients are mixed together (instructions in the recipe box at the bottom of the post), but aside from that, no.
I made it without a pizza stone or peel and waited too long to eat it so it was cold, but it was one of the best homemade pizzas I’ve made so far! I will say that my family is more of a thick crust family though, so when I make it again, I might make them a little smaller and thicker. This is a great recipe!
Your dough is easy and very good. I made it with 1/2 WW flour and it still was very elastic.
This. Was. So. Good.
Thank you for an excellent recipe and excellent directions.
Excellent recipe! I do only one thing different: I do not cook the basil with the pizza, I cut the leaves into ribbons and spread it on top AFTER the pizza comes out of the oven. MMM, MMM Good!!!
Made this pizza yesterday and it turned out so good! Will definitely be making again.
Delicious, Laura! We loved the sauce and dough was especially delicious. Thanks for sharing!
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review, I really appreciate it.
Your dough formula is the best I’ve come across in several years of searching. I did, however, add a little additional flour to reduce the stickiness. The dough, made with Montana Natural White AP flour, was soft enough to stretch thin easily and nicely browned in my oven on a stone in 8 minutes at 500°F. Next time I will up the temperature to 550° and reduce the time to about 7 minutes. I stretched and topped the crust on parchment paper on my wooden peel, making the transfer to the oven easy. The half of the dough I didn’t use immediately stayed in the fridge for a few hours, and also made a great crust. We all enjoyed Marguerita pizzas made with fresh tomato slices over mozzarella over Parmesan. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
So thrilled to hear this! Thank you so much for the great feedback, modification notes, and for taking the time to leave a review and feedback. It helps support my site, and I’m very appreciative. xo!
Finally a pizza and crust that are delicious! My husband thought this pizza would be bland but he loved it! I didn’t have a pizza stone and didn’t have semolina flour so for the first pizza it stuck to my baking sheet (tried cornmeal but that didn’t work) so for the second one I just made it on a pizza pan (unfortunately that was not pre-heated but it still was great! Does the semolina flour make the pizza easily slide off the baking sheet? I will definitely make this again – easy and so good. Also – my dough wasn’t rising as much as it should (even though it was in the oven with the light on) so put a few cups of water in the microwave and heated up the water, then took it out of the microwave and put the dough in the microwave which was warm so the dough rose perfectly!
I LOVE this recipe! I want to make it everyday but I have such anxiety trying to make it bc I can’t manage to get the pizza onto the stone from the peel. Even the cubed mozzarella fly off the pizza. I have tried preparing it different ways (on the counter, on the peel, on parchment … ) but it ALWAYS STICKS. I use semolina, to no avail. I have tried trying to transfer slow (no good), then fast (slightly better). Once the whole pizza was flung into the back of the stove (no pizza that night). I’ve set off the smoke detectors twice (much to my dog’s dismay). Yesterday my pizza turned out kidney bean shaped bc one sticky part wouldn’t let go of the peel. Please help!!!
Are you putting cornmeal under crust, on wooden pizza mover and on stone (needs to be evenly covered on all 3.
Semolina and/or flour goes on the pizza peel, some will automatically transfer with the pizza as you flick it onto the stone. Don’t put it anywhere else.
The food was absolutely delicious. Cooking this now! My house smells amazing! my husband already tweaking it a little. He added a bit of mushroom and we topped up with parmesan cheese. Delicious meal which I would definitely recommend.
Many thanks
Sounds delish! Love your tweaks!
I made this and it was great, thank you!
So happy to hear that!! Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback!
Hi Laura, I made this Pizza yesterday for my Birthday dinner (solo party during those times ?) and it was super delicious! Not the first time I am making it! Thank you for this amazing recipe! Take care of you.
Virtual hugs,
Aline
So happy to hear that Aline! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review, I really appreciate it. Stay safe and well during this crazy time!
So easy to make,yet so delicious. I used plain flour instead of bread flour. Yummy .Thanks.
Is it possible to make this into one large pizza instead of two smaller ones?
You definitely could, but it will be a bit harder to transfer in and out of the oven, depending on how you’re cooking it – which is why I prefer to make smaller pizzas.
I made this tonight! My first try at homemade pizza. The dough didn’t really rise ( I will figure it out) and it wasn’t pretty but IT WAS SOOOOOOO GOOD!!! This is what I look for when i order margherita pizza. I will make again! Thank you so much!
Hmm, try sticking the dough in a warmer spot in your kitchen and see if that helps! Is it old yeast? Either way, I’m thrilled you enjoyed it!!
I’m currently making this and just wondering if I can use a pizza stone instead of a baking sheet?
Yes! The recipe is designed for a baking stone or baking steel.
I get to eat Margherita pizza almost everyday living in Boston’s North End and yours looks just as appetizing!
Hi Laura! Ages later but found you through Google–do the proportions change if I half the recipe? I am making it for myself only, and I can guarantee you that I don’t have the restraint to stop if I have extra ?
Sorry for not responding earlier. If you wanted to half the recipe, you’d just half all the ingredients – but I would recommend just making the whole thing and having leftovers 😉
This is so good! I will be making it for the 4th time tonight for pizza night. Absolutely the best. So many pizza dough recipes call for way too much yeast, which makes them too thick. This is perfection, right down to the raw sauce!
So glad you like it!!
Hey There! Haven’t made this yet but I’m trying it for New Year’s Eve tonight. You mention ‘the cornmeal’ during the prep section for use on the peel, but it’s not listed in the ingrediants. In the ingrediants you describe how semolina flour would be used on the peel. Is either OK?
Hi Todd! Thanks for bringing this to my attention. My original recipe used cornmeal because it’s easier to come by, but since that time, I updated the recipe to recommend semolina, which has a lower burn point, and better flavor/texture in my opinion. I must have forgotten to update that part of the instructions. I will update it now. Either will work, but I do prefer semolina!
I don’t usually come back to comment on recipes, but my boyfriend and I have been loving this recipe! Last time we made it, we used a basil pesto instead of tomato sauce and it was wonderful!
So happy to hear that! And really appreciate you coming back and leaving a review 🙂
Amazing!
Made this last night for dinner…my husband stated that this was the BEST margherita pizza he has ever had…and I agree! Placed tomato slices on top and substituted with fresh burrata cheese. Patted both dry with paper towels to absorb any moisture before placement. Due to time constraints, I was not able to make the pizza dough from scratch and substituted it with a thin pizza crust package (2 – count) from the grocery store. Looking forward to the weekend so I am able to make authentic pizza dough.
Looks amazing and I love this recipe! I’ve made the pizza twice now and for some reason it takes more like 20mins to knead the dough and I always need more water… even though I am following the recipe correctly, any ideas why this might be?
Thank you 🙂
My only thought is that you might be over-measuring the flour or it is because your kitchen/environment is very dry. Flour will always absorb water a bit differently depending on the humidity in your kitchen, but that seems like a very long time to have to knead this dough. I really recommend weighing the flour for best results, if you are not already doing so! Hope this helps!
Aw, the mozzarella cheese is so perfect on the pizza, it looks super super yummy, I gotta order a pizza right now!! xD
So I made you sauce and it is amazing. I absolutely loved it. My question is could you heat the sauce mixture to can it? Do you think it would change it? Thanks!
Hi Janelle,
This sauce doesn’t contain enough acid for it to be canned without pressure canning (and I am *not* well versed in either form of canning in order to know whether that is safe to consume or possible). I do think cooking it would change the flavor though!
Followed your recipe for everything but the crust (not quite there yet). It was delicious! Will work our way up to making our crust from scratch.
Fabulous pizza! Our whole family loved it, even the “meat eaters.” The only problem was that I didn’t double it. Thanks for the great recipe.
I made this pizza and it was delicious! I don’t typically comment on recipes, but I felt as though I needed to let people know how flavorful the pizza was. I used Roma tomatoes instead of canned tomatoes and it worked very well. At first I was concerned with the moisture with the fresh mozzarella and tomatoes, but it was not an issue when baking. I didn’t have a pizza stone, so I turned my oven up to 500F and used the back of a cookie sheet and the bottom of the pizza was crisp. I will definitely make this again. Thanks for the recipe!
I have made your pizza several times, and each time the dough did not raise. I made sure to get fresh dry active yeast and flour, use the proper temperature water and put the bowl with the dough in a warm place. I ended up just stretching the dough as much as I could for the pizzas and they were tasty, but is there anything that I may be doing wrong with the dough that I can change? Thanks.
Hi Pam, this is the first time that I’ve heard this feedback about this recipe and I’ve personally made it many times over, so I’m wondering if perhaps there is some other factor for you that is hindering the rising of the dough. Is your flour cold from the fridge? Are you using the packaged active dry yeast (just want to make sure you didn’t mean fresh yeast, but I have a feeling you meant non-expired), etc. My only other suggestion would be perhaps increase the yeast by an additional 1/4 teaspoon and leave it longer. Usually, unless your yeast is dead or killed by too hot water, it is simply a matter of time before it rises. I wish I could be more insightful! I’m going to make this dough again in the next week or so, and test once again.
I made this last night and it came out great. Thanks so much for sharing.
Can this recipe be made with all purpose gluten free flour? I have Nameste brand substituting 1:1 as per their recommendation
Hi! I’ve never personally made this recipe with gluten free flour blend. Most blends are a 1:1 substitute, but pizza is a bit more complicated. The texture will definitely be VERY different but it might be worth a shot? Sorry I can’t be more helpful! I’d have to test it myself to know for sure.
Can it be made without the stone?
It definitely can (I would use a sheet pan) – but you’ll get best results with a stone or steel. The crust will be much crispier, it will cook faster, etc. Hope this helps! If you make a lot of homemade pizzas, I recommend investing in one – it makes an enormous difference!
Sadly my pizza stone cracked in half in the middle of this recipe. Never before used, and I heated it up either he oven. Do you know why this may have happened?
Oh no! I’m so sorry to hear that. My only thought is that you have a very thin pizza stone or it is not of great quality – because that shouldn’t happen, especially if it’s brand new. I’ve definitely heard over time that pizza stones can crack, but that is after many, many usages.
Fantastic! I made one pizza as written and then one with thin salami slices in place of the basil. Both were wonderful. So easy. Thanks.
Yay! So happy to hear that!
Is it possible to make the dough recipe in a bread machine?! Looks soooo yummy!
I know this comment is 3 years after this original post, but I found your recipe on Pinterest and it looks AMAZING. I have a question that I hope you’ll be able to answer for me. Is it possible to use a regular metal pizza pan instead of a pizza stone or pizza steel when making this? Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I can’t wait to try it.
You could definitely use a regular metal pizza pan! They don’t get as hot as a pizza stone or pizza steel, but that is definitely better than a standard baking sheet. I haven’t personally tried this recipe with one (I don’t own one), but I don’t see any foreseeable problems. Hope you like it!!
I”ve been making portobello mushroom pizza’s lately in an effort to cut down on my gluten intake. Used your toppings and it was the BEST one I’ve made yet! Just swapped a portobello mushroom upside down for the crust. Faster too!
This pizza was amazing. We only had cookie sheets to bake it on, but just ordered the baking steel from Amazon or next time. I’m so excited to try this again with the steel!!
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So thrilled to hear this! Thank you so much for your comment and feedback. It makes my day!
Hi there!
I have always used pizza pans with holes in them. Do you find that thus works??
Also, you use all purpose flour. WHAt about bread flour?
I don’t have, so would rather not have to buy..
Thank you out for for your input. Making this for a special night and want it to be be perfect!
Sorry for only just replying back to you! I was traveling over the past week. I have never used one of those pizza pans with holes, so I can’t really attest to how they work in comparison with other tools. However, a baking steel (or baking stone) is the BEST method for producing crispy pizzas and breads in a home oven by far. Bread flour can absolutely be used to make pizza, and many people use it for it’s higher gluten/protein content, but I wanted to develop a recipe that used flour that almost everyone already has on hand in their kitchen. Hope this helps!
Thanks for this!! I absolutely love making the sauce in this recipe (and so do my foodie friends – you got rave reviews!!), but I am hesitant to make the dough because I use a kitchenaid mixer for kneading and I wasn’t sure how long it should take. Have you ever made it that way? Any advice? Thanks so much in advance!
That’s a beautiful pizza margherita!
Live alone. How do I freeze extra crust? What is procedure when thawing and using later? Thanks
Thanks for this. My crust came out super doughy / undercooked. Any advice?
And a few nights later, the extra dough I stored in the fridge (I set it out for about 2 hours first) held its shape much better and turned out too crackery.
How did you cook the pizza? Did you change the temperature at all? Or cook it on another surface? This recipe will produce the best results at a super high temperature using a preheated baking stone – as described in the recipe and post itself. It sounds like you might have cooked it a different way or didn’t stretch the dough to be thin enough. The dough should be very thin going into the oven, as I mention in the instructions, otherwise it would absolutely be doughy.
Per your refrigerating comment, did the dough sit in your refrigerator for days? If so, that would totally change the texture, but it’s hard to say the exact culprit without more details. I don’t recommend storing the dough in the fridge for days.
If I make the dough the night before do I have to freeze it or is it okay to refrigorate it?
You could definitely refrigerate the dough and it should still come out well (I’ll test this and come back with notes for others, thanks for pointing this out!). I would just make sure to allow it to come to room temperature for at least an hour or longer so that it is not so cold for shaping. Hope this helps and please report back if you try it!
Can you detail how to make the tomato sauce? Do I need to peel them, etc? Thanks! Can’t wait to try it!
Hi Tara! The tomato sauce instructions are in the recipe. This uses canned peeled tomatoes (crushed or pureed in a food processor), so there is no need to peel anything.
Made this last night. Turned out pretty and tasted delicious!
So happy to hear that! Thanks Tara!
On my second go with this recipe as it looks so divine but why oh why is the water in ounces when everything else is metric? ?
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Have you ever tried making this with whole wheat flour? Any luck?
I haven’t personally made this exact recipe with whole wheat flour, but it is on my list of things to try/adapt and post! Whole wheat flour absorbs more liquid than all-purpose (and responds differently to yeast), so I have a feeling the quantities would need to be adjusted in order for it to be as good. Stay tuned!
I have just made a pizza using a combination of your ideas. I made the dough and the pizza sauce ad-literam. I have no stone but I’ve had the oven at the highest temperature possible (550F) and I used a glass dish.
The toppings were grilled chicken breast, frozen mushrooms (mixed), asparagus (sliced), red pepper (long and thin slices), kalamata olives, cheese (feta and mild brick mozzarella), and fresh basil. It was delicious! Thank you for the ideas!
I absolutely love this recipe! My husband and I found it on Pinterest a little over a year ago and literally started making it once a week as our go- to recipe. It really is so simple that I can’t believe I waited so long to try it. And, it tastes incredible!
So thrilled to hear that! My husband and I love making homemade pizza too, and this is one of my favorite recipes on the site. Thank you so much for coming back to leave recipe feedback. I really appreciate it, and hope you’ll have a chance to stick around and check out a few of my other recipes!
I am trying this tonight and I can’t wait!
One thought is since I am paleo, I am using this dough… any thoughts or changes to it?
http://eatsomethingdelicious.com/multi-purpose-dough/
This looks delicious! Any ideas on how many tomatoes or oz of tomatoes it takes to equal the amount from a can? I’m growing some and while i’ve only been able to harvest three so far, i’d love this to be the first recipe i use them on! thanks!
Unfortunately, I can’t offer too much specificity with regards to your question, because fresh tomatoes vary by size and density and canned tomatoes are just very different! I can’t imagine needing more than 1-2 small tomatoes (1/3 cup sauce-roughly) per pizza, if that helps, but you would most likely need to eyeball it and figure it out as you go. Sorry I can’t be more helpful!
I just made this pizza on a pizza stone on my barbecue. I could NOT believe how fabulous this was. Best pizza my husband and I have ever had anywhere.
Only one comment, as we are new to this, is despite putting cornmeal between the pizza and the peel, we still had trouble sliding it off onto the stone. Next time more cornmeal. A long handled metal barbecue flipper helped too.
This looks absolutely fabulous. I cannot wait to try it with my husband. I still haven’t found a pizza crust recipe that we really love, so hopefully this is it. If I enjoy it, I may give it a review on my blog! Happy pizza-making!
Can’t wait to hear what you think!!
Hi… i just finished following you on FB and twitter. i am too proud to do that. I agree with you completely about your experience in Naples Italy about Margherita Pizza. for me it was in 1966 during a visit to Napoli coming from Milan where I was studying for diploma of Merit.
from now on i will be happy to post your recipes on my social media accounts :FB.. Pinterest.. Twitter ..Yummly and Tumblr.. wish you nice day
thank you for the recipe i really love it. just one question, my crust is always a bit chewy and hard.. do you have a tip for me?
Laura, I noticed that the recipe has no instruction to punch down the dough at any point. My first attempt at making a pizza resulted in a crust with several large holes. Do you think that these blisters could have been punched out before baking?
I don’t personally punch down dough, because I enjoy varied air pockets/blisters on my pizzas and want to retain as much of that air as possible. It contributes to texture and flavor. Punching down will produce more even air pockets, but will inevitably lead to a more dense crust. It’s really a personal choice! Hope this helps.
Laura I haven’t done your pizza but regularly make my own and use a pizza stone. I have found out that if I put the cheese immediately the cheese burns because it takes longer for the pizza to cook then the cheese to melt. Normally I heat up my oven 525 with the stone inside place the pizza in the stone and when almost cooked I take it out, add the cheese and put the pizza back in.
Do you by chance know the calorie intake for this pizza?
Thank you!
Unfortunately, I don’t. I don’t calculate the calories on any of my recipes, because I’m not a nutritionist and most online calculators can be very inaccurate. Hope you understand!
I hate the taste of “cooked” sauces. Blending the tomatoes with garlic gave just the right flavor that was fresh and tasty on my homemade pizza. Thanks for the recipe 🙂
This pizza looks amazing- I’m Going to try this today! I do not have a pizza stone or peel- just a regular electric oven (I’ve been begging for a gas oven!). What do you recommend for temp and baking? Should I just heat it to 450 or higher and use a regular baking sheet? Or scale it down a bit so it doesn’t burn on the baking sheet? Thanks!
Hi Jessica! I haven’t made this particular pizza on a baking sheet – but I do know that a lot of people have success using that method – I just can’t say for sure what you should do for this pizza. Some people preheat sheet pans and turn them upside down to use as a faux pizza stone – but without a peel, it will be difficult to transfer the pizza onto it (unless you have one of those one-sided cookie sheets where you can slide things off? I would personally recommend keeping the temperature high (at least 475-500), because it will be hard to get a crispy crust otherwise – and shape the pizza into an oblong oval shape and drizzle oil on the sheet pan instead? The cooking time might also increase by a few minutes too. I hope this works for you – please let me know if it does!
Thank you for your response! I heated my oven to 450 and just baked it on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes and it was perfect! This is my new favorite recipe! Loved the San Marzano tomatoes…
Best pizza dough recipe. I was wondering how much you stretch the pizzas. Seems that when you stretch it out to have light through the center, the pizza are alot larger than two 10 inch pizzas.
Great pizza! Thanks, JoeP
Just realized I never asked your question! I think I was a bit conservative – so they really do make more like 11-12 inch pizzas! You don’t want a LOT of light coming through, you just want it to be thin!
It looks awesome, congrats 😛 I was wondering if you can put the ingredients in grams…I’m from Europe and I would love to make this recipe, but there are different measurements on sites…Thank you
Hi Laura:
When you say 3€ what that means? For a regular pizza? Here in Madrid for that price you can get just a slice! I loved this post.
Best regards
Hi Ricardo! A huge pizza in Naples was just three euros and that was only a few years ago in 2013. I’m sure it varies all over the place, but pizzas in Naples were incredibly cheap!
Thanks for such detailed instructions – looks great!
Looks yammy, however, surely you’re aware traditional Naples pizza dough can only have 4 ingredients – flour, water, yeast, salt. I.e. no sugar or oil. Cheers.
OH MY PIZZA GODDESS!
Made this pizza tonight for me and my husband and we are both in awe! The simplicity is genius. The only change i made, right out of the oven i covered the pizza with plenty of spinach.
This is now my go-to pizza recipe FOREVER.
Amazing!!! Thanks so much for the feedback Delilah. Nothing makes me happier!
I have a brick oven for pizza in my backyard, would you change the dough at all or do you think the result would be the same?
I just made this last night and it was, by far, the best pizza I’ve made at home. I used a cast iron pizza pan in the oven instead of a pizza stone and it worked great! Thanks for sharing such a wonderful recipe.
Thank you so much Courtney! So thrilled to hear that! I love the cast iron pan method (haven’t done it in a while now that I own a pizza stone!). Thanks for sharing that it worked for you!!! 🙂
I made this tonight for dinner and it was by far the BEST pizza I’ve ever made. SO SO good!
Yay! Oh my gosh, that makes me so happy. We’re literally making a version of this pizza almost every week 🙂
Good evening Laura! I have to say that Margherita pizza is hands down my favorite kind of pizza. Something about those simple ingredients sing to me in a heavenly way – my eyes get kind of glazed and my heart flutters (yes this is love). I am truly excited to make this. I am not readily a make your own pizza at home person, but this is inspired and beautiful. Prompt enjoyment is necessary!
I’m so excited that you are going to try it! Please let me know what you think!!! Also, my heart totally flutters when it comes to pizza too 🙂
Made this pizza today, the best pizza and crust I have made so far! Thank you Laura.
Yay! Wonderful! Thank you.
Aargh! Feeling forced to make this pizza now, looks very delish!
Napoli pizza is the best!! Hands down. Loving your version girl!
Now I’m regretting that we didn’t go to Naples!! Next time. 🙂 I was pretty sure I made a damn good pizza for a long time…but now I have my doubts. Need to try this for our next pizza night!
Wow, seriously 100x thank you for the free pizza making school! I was wondering about the pizza stone thing- dang nab it, I will just have to suck it up and get one. The crust on this baby looks heavenly.
Gah this is gorgeous.
And now I want pizza.
Thanks Lindsay! Hope you had a great time at the White Lily Baking Retreat! Looked like a lot of fun!
That pizza looks fabulous. I keep trying diff recipes, so this is next! Thanks
Yes! I’ve gone through a ton of them too. I REALLY hope you like this! I’m a big fan of this pizza dough recipe, and for me, it was all about nailing the toppings (and amount of toppings). Let me know if you try it!!!
Used this recipe now a few times and its always a winner.
The sauce is perfect had never done with raw tomatoes before but it so much better. Thank you so much.
Do you cook it on the stone or on the stone with grease proof paper? To get it on and off thank you
Just on the stone, the peel is dusted with semolina and/or flour.
This looks fabulous and much more appetizing than our usual “doctored” frozen pizza! Going to try this on Sunday night after doing the Peach Burrata salad on Saturday night! Great recipe, Laura, and very clearly explained, which I appreciate, particularly the note about the “second” pizza!
PS definitely dragging Dad to Naples for this pizza!
This definitely looks mouth-watering, and I do take your “best” recommendation seriously! I’ve never made pizza from scratch, though that is a task I’d like to attempt someday. I get a little intimidated with recipes call for dry yeast, etc., but I need to give it a shot, anyway! 🙂
Thanks Meg! Don’t be scared by the yeast! You don’t even have to proof the yeast for this recipe, just throw it all together in a bowl (and make sure your water is warm, and not too hot). Buy some of those little packets, promise it’s easy! 🙂
This might be a silly question but first time making this….. the dough seemed to turn out just like you explained, ( I was SO excited!)
I placed it in the bowel to raise for 2 hrs.
I unexpectedly had to leave to help a friend with a problem. The dough was left to raise for 3 to 4 hours…..have I ruined this crust recipe?
It should still work! It’s not ideal, but I don’t think it will be a problem at all. Let me know how it turns out (and there are no silly questions 🙂 )
This was fantastic delicious. I’ve always had a few toppings. This was the easiest pizza I’ve made so far because of the few ingredients. I had been searching for a margherita pizza for long even though are many recipes and yours was good at first try. I had made my pizza sauce and dough and couldn’t manage fresh basil so used dried instead which was fine in flavor and gobbled up by children mostly haha. Bookmarked this page for the future. Thank you!
So glad to hear that!