Pizza Margherita

Matériel

• Digital scale
• Large mixing bowl or stand mixer with dough hook
• Baking steel or pizza stone
• Pizza peel
• Tray and damp cloth for the dough balls
• Sieve
• Infrared thermometer (optional)

Avant de commencer

1. Weigh all the dough ingredients before you start.
2. Plan the timing: mix the dough about 7 hours before you want to eat.
3. Clear the top part of the oven and position the rack 15 cm below the grill.
4. Pick the basil leaves and keep them under a damp paper towel.

Préparation

1. 1

   Mix the dough

   600 g type 00 flour390 ml water14 g fine sea salt2 g instant dried yeast

   Stir the yeast into the water. Add the flour and mix by hand or with a dough hook on low speed until no dry flour remains, then add the salt and mix 1 minute more.

   C'est prêt quand A shaggy, sticky dough with no dry patches; it clings to your fingers.

   Astuce Add the salt after the flour so it does not touch the yeast directly.
2. 2

   Knead

   Knead on a clean, unfloured worktop for 10 minutes (or 6–8 minutes on medium-low speed in a mixer).

   C'est prêt quand The dough is smooth and springy; a small piece stretched between your fingers turns thin enough to let light through without tearing.

   Astuce Resist adding flour. The stickiness disappears as the gluten develops.

   Lancer le minuteur de 10 min
3. 3

   First rise

   Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and leave at room temperature (20–24 °C) for 2 hours.

   C'est prêt quand The dough has grown by about half, the surface is domed and a few bubbles show at the sides of the bowl.

   Lancer le minuteur de 2 h
4. 4

   Shape the balls

   Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Fold each piece under itself several times to make a tight, smooth ball.

   C'est prêt quand The balls are taut with a smooth skin on top and a seam underneath; they hold their shape instead of slumping.
5. 5

   Second rise

   Set the balls on a floured tray, well apart, cover with a damp cloth or an upturned container and leave at room temperature for 4–6 hours.

   C'est prêt quand The balls have roughly doubled, look soft and puffy, and a fingertip pressed in leaves a dent that springs back slowly.

   Astuce If the dent springs back at once, give them another 30–60 minutes. If it does not spring back at all, bake soon: they are close to over-proofed.

   Lancer le minuteur de 4 h
6. 6

   Heat the steel or stone

   Put the baking steel or stone on a rack about 15 cm below the grill and heat the oven at its highest setting (usually 250–290 °C) for 45–60 minutes.

   C'est prêt quand An infrared thermometer reads at least 260 °C on the steel, or a pinch of semolina tossed on it browns within 10 seconds.

   Astuce A short preheat is the main reason home pizza comes out pale and soft. The steel needs the full time to store heat.

   270 °C · 518 °F Lancer le minuteur de 45 min
7. 7

   Prepare the tomatoes

   400 g whole peeled plum tomatoes2 g fine sea salt

   Crush the tomatoes by hand in a bowl, removing any hard cores, and stir in the salt. Do not cook the sauce.

   C'est prêt quand A loose, chunky purée with no whole pieces bigger than a fingernail.
8. 8

   Drain the mozzarella

   400 g fior di latte mozzarella

   Tear the mozzarella into 2 cm pieces and leave them in a sieve over a bowl for at least 30 minutes.

   C'est prêt quand The pieces feel damp, not dripping, when you squeeze one gently.

   Astuce Wet mozzarella floods the pizza and leaves the centre soggy.

   Lancer le minuteur de 30 min
9. 9

   Stretch the base

   30 g semolina

   Dust the worktop with semolina. Press one ball out from the centre with your fingertips, leaving a 1.5 cm rim untouched, then stretch it over your knuckles to 28–30 cm.

   C'est prêt quand The centre is thin enough to see the light faintly through it and the rim stays thick and puffy. No tears.

   Astuce Never use a rolling pin: it pushes the gas out of the rim and the crust does not rise.
10. 10

    Top the pizza

    400 g whole peeled plum tomatoes400 g fior di latte mozzarella2 c. à soupe extra-virgin olive oil

    Slide the base onto a semolina-dusted peel. Spread a quarter of the tomatoes thinly with the back of a spoon, scatter a quarter of the mozzarella and drizzle with a little oil.

    C'est prêt quand Tomato reaches to the rim but not over it, and you can still see red between the pieces of cheese. A shake of the peel moves the pizza freely.

    Astuce Work fast: a topped base left on the peel for more than 2 minutes starts to stick.
11. 11

    Bake

    Slide the pizza onto the steel with a quick jerk of the peel. Bake for 6–8 minutes, switching the grill to high for the last 1–2 minutes if your oven allows.

    C'est prêt quand The rim is puffed and blistered with dark spots, the cheese bubbles and the underside is browned and crisp when you lift an edge.

    270 °C · 518 °F Lancer le minuteur de 7 min
12. 12

    Finish and repeat

    12 feuilles basil2 c. à soupe extra-virgin olive oil

    Lift the pizza onto a board, scatter a quarter of the basil and add a thread of oil. Let the steel reheat for 5 minutes before baking the next one.

    C'est prêt quand The basil wilts slightly and smells sweet; the oil glistens on the hot cheese.

Erreurs courantes

Variantes