I know why people buy it. It’s convenient. It takes 10 minutes to heat up and dinner is on the table.
But you guys– PLEASE EAT BETTER PIZZA!
As someone from the Northeast, land of the world’s best pizza, who lives just a few blocks from the world’s first Pizza Museum (which makes my top 3 favorite pizza’s in Philadelphia), I want everyone to eat delicious pizza where the crust is the perfect thickness (not thick at all- crispy and thin), the mozzarella bubbles just right and the sauce has the perfect balance of creaminess and garlic. I want this for you all!
We’ve pretty much perfected the homemade Margherita Pizza in my house, and today I am going to share my secrets. But a warning: After reading how easy this is (and salivating at how delicious it looks), you will have NO excuse but to make your pizza homemade from now on. Unless you, too, live near a Pizza museum. Then you may order take out from time to time.
The Crust and Pizza Dough
You could make your own pizza dough, this is true. But this is That’s Normal Eats- Recipes for normal people. Buy your pizza dough. Buy it from a local pizza shop you love (Stick it in the freezer if you’re not using it within a few days and take it out THE DAY BEFORE to thaw in the fridge) or buy it from Trader Joe’s or buy the boxed, frozen Brooklyn Pizza Dough from Whole Foods (My favorite).
Ignore ALL the instructions on preparing the dough and listen to me:
- Let the thawed dough sit on the counter for 15-20 minutes so it’s still cold but not SO cold.
- Roll out the Dough on a floured surface. Work it with your hands. Roll it with a rolling pin if you’d like. Don’t overwork it, and start to shape it. You won’t get a perfect circle. No one likes perfection. Get the inside of the pizza pretty thin. Roll up the dough at the end to make it pizza-ish.
The Temperature of the Oven
Our favorite way to cook pizza is on the grill. We have a Big Green Egg which is the world’s best grill. But the conventional oven works great too. Ignore the dough packaging and pre-heat your oven to 500 degrees.
Once the heat is up to temperature, put your baking stone (my preferred method) or pan into the oven for 5 minutes.
Remove the pan from the oven. Be careful. 500 Degrees is hot. Put your rolled out dough on the stone or pan and put back into the oven (yes, without toppings or sauce!) for 5ish minutes.
Make a sauce
Canned pizza sauce is okay in a pinch, but it’s SO easy to make.
Throw a can of San Marzano Tomatoes with 1-3 cloves of garlic (I love a lot of garlic) and salt and pepper into your food processor. Pulse it to a sauce consistency. If it’s too thin- throw it on the stove to thicken or add a little tomato Paste (or do both!). Add dried oregano and basil to taste. If you like spicy sauce add red pepper flakes. Don’t be afraid to mess this part up! It could be as simple as a can of crushed tomatoes with some garlic powder!
Prep the Mozzarella Cheese
No one should ever use shredded Mozzarella cheese. Don’t do that to yourself. Buy Bocconcini Mozzarella in water. Whole Foods 365 Brand is my favorite cheap cheese. If you live near an Italian Market, buy THEIR cheese. I prefer it in water because it’s soft and creamy and OH SO DELICIOUS.
Slice your cheese fairly thin so it melts evenly into the sauce and crust. Do a few taste tests along the way. Go on, you deserve it.
Prepare the Pizza
After your crust has been in the oven for 5 minutes, it’s time to make a pizza.
Starting with the middle of the pizza, add your sauce to the crust. YOU DO NOT NEED A LOT. A big mistake people make when making pizza is TOO much sauce. This makes the crust soggy and doesn’t crisp in the oven. Spread the sauce all the way to the edge.
Place your cheese on the sauce. You don’t need to over-cheese it.
Margherita Pizza Cooking Time
Cook the pizza until it’s done. You’ll know because the cheese will be bubbling and the crust will be crispy (and maybe even black- especially if you use a grill) This will probably take 5-15 minutes, but it depends on your oven so watch closely. In the last minute or two of cooking, add some fresh basil.
If you’re unsure if it’s done, pull the pizza out of the oven and use a spatula to lift up the dough and check the bottom. It should be crispy.
Bonus Tip: Grate parmesan reggiano cheese on the pizza before serving. Use FRESH parmesan reggiano. You deserve better than the green can, guys. And add a drizzle of Olive Oil. Serve with leftover pizza sauce.
Let the pizza sit for 5 minutes, while you salivate, then cut and serve!
Bon Appétit!
Ingredients
For the Sauce:
- 2-3 Fresh tomatoes, Chopped corsely (or a can of San Marzano tomatoes)
- 1-3 cloves of garlic
- Optional: Tomato Paste (for a thicker sauce or if you have watery tomatoes)
- Salt & pepper, to taste
For the Dough:
- Frozen or fresh pizza dough. Thaw frozen dough in the fridge overnight or in a bowl on your kitchen counter sprinkled with a little olive oil and covered with a towel for 8-12 hours.
- Flour for preparing
- Bocconcini Mozzerella Cheese in Water (2-3 egg size, pieces), sliced.
- 5 Fresh Brasil Leaves
- Optional: Dried Basil, Oregano, red pepper flakes and parmesan reggiano.
Instructions:
Pre-heat the oven to 500 degrees. On a Floured surface, start with the pizza dough in a ball. Work it out slowly into a pizza shape using your hands or a rolling pin. You’re looking for a thin middle with thicker ends.
Pulse the chopped or canned tomatoes a few times with garlic and salt and pepper in a food processor. If it’s too thin or watery, simmer on stove for a few minutes. Add tomato paste if needed plus optional dried basil, oregano and red pepper flakes (to taste)
Once the oven is heated, heat the pizza stone for 5 minutes. Add the rolled-out crust only for an additional 5 minutes. Remove the hot crust and spread the sauce, starting in the middle and working to the edges. Do not over-sauce. Add the mozzerella cheese.
Cook for 5-15 minutes, checking every few minutes. You want the cheese to just be browning and bubbling, the sauce to sink into the crust a bit and the crust to brown (or even blacked in spots). In the last 1-2 minutes of cooking, add the fresh basil to the pie.
Remove from the oven and grate fresh parmesan reggiano cheese on the pizza plus add a drizzle of olive oil.
Please make this pizza and tell me how you like it! You’ll never eat frozen pizza again!
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