Pizza Margherita

For my Pizza Margherita I use dry yeast in powder and, following the tradition, white flour 00. By the way, for a more "modern" and "healthy taste you can mix together Manitoba and White Four. In recent years, i found many "versions" that use other types of yeast or special flours to obtain a lighter and more digestible pizza

I strongly advise you to do some tests (for example try the excellent "mother yeast" - rather difficult to find - or mix the white flour 00 with raw flours that are certainly much healthier) until you get your ideal dough

In a small container, dissolve the yeast in a little warm water and add a teaspoon of sugar to activate it (if possible, do this a little in advance: after a few minutes you will see many bubbles on the surface of the liquid, demonstrating that the yeast he's getting to work!)

In another bowl, pour the tomato puree and season with a clove of garlic, a pinch of salt, a drizzle of oil and a basil leaf

Pour the flour into a very large bowl, add the dissolved yeast, mix and start adding lukewarm water a little at a time. Stir with a spoon until you get a sticky but solid enough dough. At this point add the salt (which inhibits the yeast and therefore must be added at the end) and a nice round of oil. Remember the golden rule of pizza: if you have poured too much water add flour, if the dough is too hard you need more water

Transfer the dough onto the work surface, lightly floured, roll up your sleeves and start kneading vigorously for at least 10 minutes

There is an infallible way to knead by hand: stretch, fold and turn! Put the ball in the center of the work surface. With the palm of your hand stretch it out in front of you so that it becomes oval, then with your fingers fold it towards you to make it round again. Turn 45 degrees (I do it counterclockwise) and repeat: stretch, bend, turn again. This hard work is essential to obtain the gluten mesh that will make your pizza rise to perfection

After about 8 minutes you will have obtained a soft and smooth ball, continue to knead it for another 2 minutes trying to massage the surface so that it becomes perfectly homogeneous. To check that the dough is ok, press it gently with your finger, the dough, now elastic, should rise, making the hole disappear

Clean the bowl used at the beginning, oil the inside with a few drops of oil and settle the dough. Massage the surface with a little oil and leave to rest for 30 minutes after covering the bowl with a cloth

After the time has elapsed, you will see that the dough has started to rise, increasing in volume. “Deflate it”, folding it on itself and forming a ball again. This step serves to reactivate the yeast and to obtain a more consistent dough. Let it rest for another 30 minutes

Deflate the dough again and roll it out on an oiled pan giving it the shape you prefer (round or, as we do in Italy, rectangular) and the thickness you like best (high, as we do in Naples, or low as we do in Rome)

At this point the dough must rest (always covered) for another 2 hours before being ready for cooking

Heat the oven to the maximum temperature

Spread a layer of seasoned tomato sauce on the pizza, add a little salt, a little oil and bake

Cut the mozzarella into small pieces and add it at the end of cooking so that it does not melt too much

After about 15 minutes, check the cooking by removing the pizza from the oven and lifting a corner to check that the bottom, in contact with the pan is golden brown (if it is not, put it back in the oven for a few more minutes but, in any case, avoid that you burn)

Add a layer of mozzarella, some basil leaves and put back in the oven for another 5 minutes to cook the cheese

Remove from the oven, check the bottom again to verify cooking and let the pizza rest for a few minutes before cutting and serving it.

If you want to prepare the dough in advance, you can let it rest in the bowl for 4 to 8 hours (it will grow a lot) and then bang it violently on the work surface to deflate it, season it and cook it. However, remember that the longer the time passes, the more the dough fills with air and becomes less digestible