Home Oven Pizza Margherita with Torn Mozzarella

Luis Paredes @luis.paredesOct 4, 2026

8 ingredients

13 steps

What you need

500 g (4 cups) tipo 00 flour, or bread flour, plus extra for dusting
300 ml (1 1/4 cups) lukewarm water
2 tsp active dry yeast
1 1/2 tsp salt, plus a pinch for the tomatoes
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
400 g (14 oz) canned peeled tomatoes
250 g (9 oz) fresh mozzarella
1 handful fresh basil leaves

Method

Restated from the original video

1
Pour the water into a large bowl, sprinkle the yeast over it and wait until it looks creamy, 5-10 min. Stir to dissolve.
2
Add the flour, 1 1/2 tsp salt and 2 tbsp of the olive oil and mix with a fork until a rough dough forms.
3
Turn it out onto a lightly floured counter and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 min.
4
Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and leave in a warm place until doubled, about 2 hours.
5
About 40 min before baking, put a baking tray in the oven and preheat to 250 °C (480 °F), or as hot as the oven allows.
6
Tip the tomatoes into a bowl and crush them by hand into a rough sauce. Season with a pinch of salt and 1 tbsp of the olive oil.
7
Tear the mozzarella into small pieces and leave it in a sieve to drain while the dough finishes.
8
Punch down the dough, divide it into 2 balls and let them relax under a cloth for 20 min.
9
Press and stretch one ball with oiled fingers into a round about 30 cm (12 in) across on a sheet of baking paper, keeping the rim a little thicker.
10
Spread half the tomatoes over the base, leaving a 2 cm border bare.
11
Slide the pizza on its paper onto the hot tray and bake for 8 min.
12
Scatter over half the mozzarella and bake until the crust is deep golden and the cheese has melted, 5-7 min more.
13
Top with basil, drizzle with a little of the remaining olive oil and slice. Repeat with the second ball.

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About pizza

A round of yeasted dough topped with tomato sauce and cheese, baked hot and fast until the crust blisters and the cheese melts. Toppings vary widely, but the base method stays the same.

What cooks argue about

Oven temperature is the central argument: true Neapolitan pizza bakes in under two minutes at extreme heat, a range most home ovens can't reach. Cooks argue over stone or steel workarounds instead.

What usually goes in

Every version of pizza

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Imported from anitalianinmykitchen.com. Recipe Grab pulled out what you need to cook it; the video stays where its author put it.

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