Fresh Margherita Pizza

Name: Fresh Margherita Pizza
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 2 h
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 6 cups Bread flour; 2.5 tsp Active dry yeast; 2 cups Warm water; 3 tbsp Olive oil; 2 tsp Kosher salt; 2 cans San Marzano crushed tomatoes; 3 cloves Garlic cloves, smashed; 32 oz Fresh mozzarella, sliced; 2 cups Fresh basil leaves; 0.3 cup Extra-virgin olive oil; 1 tsp Flaky sea salt

Basil, mozzarella, blistered crust

Prep: 30 min
Cook: 90 min
Serves 8
Difficulty: medium

Basil, mozzarella, blistered crust. Sized for a full crew, with timing that still works when the kitchen gets interrupted.

Why crews like it: A hall pick for regular dinner nights — one line, real portions, no drama at the stove.

0Cal

0gProtein

0gCarbs

0gFat

Ingredients

6 cups Bread flour
2.5 tsp Active dry yeast
2 cups Warm water
3 tbsp Olive oil
2 tsp Kosher salt
2 cans San Marzano crushed tomatoes
3 cloves Garlic cloves, smashed
32 oz Fresh mozzarella, sliced
2 cups Fresh basil leaves
0.3 cup Extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp Flaky sea salt

Instructions

Proof dough for blistered crust: Bloom yeast in warm water 5 minutes. Mix flour, salt, oil, and yeast water; knead 8–10 minutes until smooth. Rise 1–1½ hours until doubled. Margherita needs relaxed gluten for leopard spotting on the rim.
Make quick tomato sauce: Simmer crushed tomatoes with smashed garlic 12 minutes until slightly thickened. Season lightly with salt — fresh mozzarella brings salt too. Cool briefly; hot sauce melts dough.
Heat stone to maximum practical temp: Preheat stone or steel at 500°F at least 45 minutes. Drain mozzarella on paper towels and slice evenly — wet cheese makes a soggy center.
Stretch, light sauce, mozzarella only: Stretch dough to 12–14 inch rounds. Sauce sparingly — red should peek through cheese. Arrange mozzarella slices in one layer with slight overlap. No toppings yet; basil goes on after the bake.
Bake for leopard spots: Bake 9–12 minutes until crust is spotted brown and cheese has melted with a few golden blisters. Rotate once. Underbaked Margherita tastes like cheese on raw bread — look for color on the underside.
Basil, olive oil, rest, and cut: Immediately scatter whole basil leaves and drizzle olive oil. Finish with flaky salt. Rest 2 minutes, cut into 8 slices. Fresh Margherita Pizza — tomato, mozzarella, basil. Serve fast; basil wilts on a hot hold.

Tonight's spread

Cut pies into hall slices (8 per pie minimum) and fan on sheet trays.
Keep a fresh pie warming in the oven — pizza dies fast on the counter.
Line up Fresh Margherita Pizza on the main counter with serving spoons — firefighters grab fast between calls.
Keep a backup tray warm in the oven at 200°F for late arrivals after a run.

Hall tips

Keep a backup tray warm in the oven for late calls — nothing worse than cold plates after a run.
Taste for salt at the end — hall palates run salty after long shifts.

Leftovers

Cool leftovers in shallow containers within two hours — deep pots stay hot too long.
Label trays with date and reheat to 165°F minimum before second shift.

Pizza stone or steel
Peel or inverted sheet pan
Large sheet trays
Instant-read thermometer
Aluminum foil