Pizza Margherita Recipe • 5★

Recipe from Carlo Mirarchi, Brandon Hoy, Chris Parachini and Katherine Wheelock

Adapted by Sam Sifton

Published January 17, 2023

Melina Hammer for The New York Times

Here is the archetype of a thin-crust pizza pie, a pizza margherita adorned simply in the colors of the Italian flag: green from basil, white from mozzarella, red from tomato sauce. This pizza is adapted from the recipe used by the staff at Roberta’s restaurant in Brooklyn, who make their tomato sauce simply by whizzing together canned tomatoes, a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt. The ingredients offer in their proportions what appears to be a kind of austerity — not even 3 ounces of cheese! But the result is home-cooked pizza to beat the band, exactly the sort of recipe to start a career in home pizza-making, and to return to again and again. —Sam Sifton

Featured in: A Little Pizza Homework

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1 12-inch round of pizza dough, stretched (see recipe)

3 tablespoons tomato sauce (see note)

2 ¾ ounces fresh mozzarella

4 to 5 basil leaves, roughly torn

Step 1Place a pizza stone or tiles on the middle rack of your oven and turn heat to its highest setting. Let it heat for at least an hour.

Place a pizza stone or tiles on the middle rack of your oven and turn heat to its highest setting. Let it heat for at least an hour.

Step 2Put the sauce in the center of the stretched dough and use the back of a spoon to spread it evenly across the surface, stopping approximately ½ inch from the edges.

Put the sauce in the center of the stretched dough and use the back of a spoon to spread it evenly across the surface, stopping approximately ½ inch from the edges.

Step 3Drizzle a little olive oil over the pie. Break the cheese into large pieces and place these gently on the sauce. Scatter basil leaves over the top.

Drizzle a little olive oil over the pie. Break the cheese into large pieces and place these gently on the sauce. Scatter basil leaves over the top.

Step 4Using a pizza peel, pick up the pie and slide it onto the heated stone or tiles in the oven. Bake until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is bubbling, approximately 4 to 8 minutes.

Using a pizza peel, pick up the pie and slide it onto the heated stone or tiles in the oven. Bake until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is bubbling, approximately 4 to 8 minutes.

In a food processor, whiz together whole, drained canned tomatoes, a splash of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt. Keep leftover sauce refrigerated.

I'm always a bit confused abut the term fresh mozzarella. Is this the buffala type sold in water (sometimes also sold as fiore di latte, not buffal but less expensive) or like boccancini? Or the firmer type sold in plastic?

DO NOT shy away from making the dough recommended here (Roberta's).

Do not give in to the temptation to use store-bought dough. I've made this pizza with both, and the difference between the two can be measured in light years. Make it. You can do it. It's not hard. And it is A-MAY-ZING.

I followed this recipe to the letter, and I have to tell you, it was pretty bland. If you really want to do pizza sauce the right way, you must add oregano -- along with chopped onions and garlic. Otherwise, the sauce has no kick at all.

I’ve been making pizza for years. It’s always been good but never tasted like the restaurant. That’s all changed thanks to this recipe. Stretching the dough rather than rolling it and an extremely hot pizza stone made all the difference. If I’d had a pizza peel instead of a flattened cereal box, then it would have been perfect. Regardless, it was excellent. Make this pizza.

Excellent recipe!

- If worried about sliding pizza onto the pizza stone or steel, place the stretched dough onto a pizza pan or baking sheet that has been very lightly coated with cornmeal or seminola, bake it that way for a few minutes, then slide it onto the stone or steel. - Do not use more cheese than suggested.

This pizza is simply delicious. I have tried several pizza dough recipes and Roberta's is the best for Neapolitan style pizza. The toppings are minimal but perfect. For a crispier crust, parbake the crust for just a few minutes.

Adapted from "Roberta's," by Carlo Mirarchi, Brandon Hoy, Chris Parachini and Katherine Wheelock

Source: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016231-pizza-margherita