Recipe: Margherita pizza with homemade crust

Following my post about Russian River Brewing Co. in which I raved about their pizzas, I’m sharing my unfussy recipe for Margherita pizza. I like the simplicity of a Margherita, which is traditionally topped with only three ingredients: fresh plum tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and fresh sweet basil.In case you hadn’t noticed, the colors of the three toppings are red, white, and green—coincidentally (on purpose) the same colors as the flag of Italia. It’s popular belief that a chef made the tri-colored pizza for Queen Margherita of Savoy during her 1889 visit to Naples 25 years after the unification of Italy. Thus, the pizza was christened Margherita.What elevates this pizza recipe is its homemade crust made from scratch. During a decluttering episode a few years ago, I got rid of my bread machine, so now, I make the pizza dough using a stand mixer.If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can mix and knead by hand—you’ll build up some major forearm muscles that way, good for fighting off anyone who dares to come near your pizza.Enjoy it with a glass of wine or beer. Buon appetito!

Recipe: Margherita Pizza with Homemade Crust

Notes: I use a stand mixer, but you can use a food pro, bread machine, or just plain hands. Extra dough can be stored in the freezer: just wrap tightly in plastic wrap and store in a freezer bag.

Ingredients

1. 1 c flat beer
2. 2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
3. 2 tbsp granulated sugar
4. 1 tsp kosher salt
5. 2.5 c AP flour + more for dusting
6. 2.25 tsp yeast
7. 1/2 tsp dried oregano or basil (optional)
8. 1 tsp cornmeal
9. 1 tbsp olive oil
10. 2 roma tomatoes, thinly sliced lengthwise
11. 8 ozs fresh mozzarella (preferably buffalo), drained & thinly sliced
12. 1 bunch sweet basil leaves, chiffonaded if desired

Instructions

1. Make dough: In a stand mixer with dough hook attachment, mix together beer, butter, sugar, salt, 2.5 c flour, yeast, and dried herbs if using on low speed until dough begins to form. Increase speed to medium and continue mixing until dough ball forms, approx. 30 s. If dough is dry, add dash of beer; if too wet, add pinch of flour. Dough should be sticky but not gooey. Increase speed to medium-high and knead for approx. 6m. Turn dough out into a large greased bowl and cover with damp towel. Set aside to rise, approx 50m, or cover and chill overnight.
2. Par-bake crust: Place pizza stone on middle rack in oven and preheat to 400°F. (If you put a cold pizza stone in an already hot oven, you risk cracking the stone.) On a floured surface, roll out pizza dough into a circle approx. 1/8” thick. Remove pizza stone from oven and sprinkle with cornmeal. Place crust on stone and brush with olive oil. Bake until light golden, approx 10m. Remove from oven.
3. Cook pizzas: Top crusts with tomatoes and mozzarella. Bake until crust is lightly browned and crisp, approx 10 to 15m more.
4. Top with basil and slice before serving.

Active time: 40m
Total time: 1h 30m
Yields: 2 (12”) pizzas/3 servings