Margherita: eat pizza like a queen

Modern pizza can be traced to Naples in the early 19th century and, even more so for pizza margherita, the link with Naples is very close. One popular account dates the invention of Pizza Margherita to 1889 and a Neapolitan pizza maker named Raffaele Esposito who wanted to honor the visit to Naples by Queen Margherita of Savoy and her husband, King Umberto I. The ingredients were to represent the colors of the Italian flag: red (tomatoes), white (mozzarella), and green (basil).

Its preparation is very simple. We describe below the preparation of one of the most renown pizza margherita variants, Pizza Margherita all’Origano, whose topping is flavoured with both basil and oregano.

Pizza Margherita all’Origano step by step:

Ingredients	Quantity
Instant-rising pizza blend	750 g
Water	450 ml
Marinara sauce	500 g
Mozzarella cheese	400 g
Fresh basil leaves	To taste
Extra virgin olive oil	60 ml
Salt	To taste (>15 g)
Pepper	To taste

Preparation method

Before starting, our recommendation for quick pizza preparation is to use a pizza blend of organic soft wheat flour mixed with instant yeast, which will allow you to reduce preparation times because the pizza rises as it cooks. 

• Step 1 – Preheating the oven to 250°C (480 F)
  • First of all, remember to turn on the oven because the flour with added yeast begins to rise as soon as it is mixed with the water and therefore it will be important to bake it as soon as it is ready.
• Step 2 – Preparing the dough
  • Pour the pizza bland, 3 tablespoons (45 ml) of EVO oil, 15g of salt and 450 ml of water in a bowl or in a mixer
  • Knead the dough for at least 3 minutes in the planetary mixer or, if kneaded by hand in a bowl, for about 5 minutes.
  • If the dough is still too dry, add very little water at a time but it shouldn’t happen. The dough must be smooth and homogeneous.
  • Let rest for 15 minutes.
  • Keep kneading the dough until it becomes smooth.
• Step 3 – Seasoning the dough
  • Spread the dough in an oiled pan (a very large one or, if you don’t have it, 2 smaller ones) and flatten it with the help of your fingertips  so that you fill the entire pan . The dough will seem not enough and in any case too thin … it is normal, as it will grow during cooking.
  • Once the dough has been rolled out, pour over 500g of Marinara sauce and spread it evenly, add a pinch of salt, sprinkle with a drizzle of oil.
  • Dice mozzarella and and keep it aside
• Step 4 – Baking your pizza and adding basil & mozzarella
  • Put the pan in the oven and bake for for 10/15 minutes in a static oven. As always, cooking times vary from oven to oven. The dough should swell and brown slightly at the edges.
  • At this point, take the pizza out of the oven and sprinkle the previously diced mozzarella on top. Put the pizza back in the oven for about 5 minutes. Before putting it back in the oven, we recommend lightly oiling the surface and especially the edges, this will make the crust more crunchy on the outside. The mozzarella should melt and brown slightly.
  • Remove from the oven, add the basil leaves, if you like a drizzle of oil, let stand 2 – 3 minutes and serve.

At the end of cooking, you are ready to taste a piece of Neapolitan pizza history: buon appetito!

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