When we visited Italy six years ago, we saw our fair share of different kinds of pizza. I remember taking a picture at a trattoria in Venice where their display of pizzas included toppings of squid. Eww. After that, I was almost turned off to eating any pizza in Italy for the entire trip. But, one afternoon I caved and ordered Pizza Margherita (I'm sure after the convincing of my father-in-law) and couldn't believe its flavor despite its simplicity.
Ever since that trip, Pizza Margherita has been one of my favorites. Even though the pizzas in Italy are served on a thin crust, I love a thicker crust and use the Perfect Pizza Dough recipe. You can use any dough recipe of your liking. But, no matter what crust you use, with basically three main toppings and no sauce needed, its an easy weeknight meal.
Recipe Card
Pizza Margherita
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves , pressed
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Half batch Perfect Pizza Crust or pizza dough of choice
- 3 to 4 Roma tomatoes , thinly sliced
- 8 oz fresh mozzarella , thinly sliced
- 8 fresh basil leaves , sliced
Instructions
- Place a pizza stone in the lower third of the oven. Heat the oven to 500? for at least 30 minutes.
- In a small microwavable bowl, mix the olive oil, garlic and salt then heat in the microwave for 45 seconds; set aside. Shape the pizza dough to a 12" round and transfer to a pizza peel or parchment paper heavily dusted with semolina or cornmeal. Brush with most of the garlic oil, including the outer crust.
- Layer the tomato slices over the crust and top with mozzarella. Sprinkle with basil then carefully slide the dough onto the hot stone. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and cheese is melted. Let set for 5 minutes before slicing.
