Making the perfect Margherita pizza at home starts with our simple homemade pizza dough that guarantees the perfect crust every time. After just a few hours of resting, you’ll have a dough that’s ready to create an authentic Italian pizza. No store-bought sauce here! Our garlic-infused tomato sauce adds just the right amount of flavor.
Get all of our best tips and tricks for pizza as well as more flavor options with our Ultimate Guide to Pizza!
Why Our Recipe
- We start with an easy homemade pizza dough for the absolute perfect crust.
- We even make our own garlic-tomato sauce for the best flavor and top it all off with mozzarella pearls for the best spread of gooey cheese.
- Use a pizza stone or pizza pan or use our makeshift pizza oven hack.
We’ve swapped traditional shredded mozzarella for mozzarella pearls, ensuring an even spread of delicious, gooey cheese. Whether you’re using a pizza stone for that ultimate pizzeria-style crust or a regular pizza pan, this recipe is designed to work perfectly in your home kitchen. We even have a clever pizza oven hack to get the job done! Get ready to impress your friends and family with restaurant-quality Margherita pizza all from the comfort of your own home.
Ingredient Notes
- Instant Dry Yeast: This yeast doesn’t require activation in warm water first. Just mix it directly into the dough ingredients for convenience. Ensure your water is between 100-110°F to activate the yeast properly.
- 00 Flour or All-purpose Flour: If you can find 00 flour, it’s highly recommended for achieving the perfect crust, as it’s finely milled and perfect for pizza. All-purpose flour will still work great, giving you a crisp and slightly chewy crust.
- Canned Crushed Tomatoes: For the sauce, look for high-quality, no-sugar-added crushed tomatoes. San Marzano tomatoes are often the gold standard, but any brand of crushed tomatoes will do.
- Mozzarella Pearls: These small, pre-shaped mozzarella balls provide an even distribution of gooey, melted cheese on your pizza. You can find them in the specialty cheese section of most grocery stores. You can also use sliced fresh mozzarella.
- Fresh basil leaves: Use whole leaves for an authentic touch, adding them after the pizza bakes.
Pizza Pans
We have a few tricks up our sleeves and a whole lot of opinions. When it comes down to it, we recommend using either a perforated pizza pan or using a pizza stone. We’ve got some affiliate links in here that link to the products we personally use.
- Standard Pizza Pan: a perforated pizza pan will provide the very best crust because it allows for airflow to crisp up the bottom.
- Pizza Stone: we love using a pizza stone for that perfect Italian-style crust. You’ll just need to master the art of using a pizza peel. The key is to dust the peel with a fine layer of cornmeal. Roll out the pizza, or toss it if you dare, and then transfer it to the peel. Give it a little shake to make sure no spots are sticking before you add your toppings. It’s a lot easier to unstick a spot and add a little more cornmeal before the toppings get added on.
Make Shift Pizza Oven
When ready to bake, slide the pizza onto the stone (or your perforated pizza pan) and close the oven. Change the oven setting to broil to create a top heat. The pizza stone or airflow will cook your pizza from the bottom with the residual heat and the broiler heating element cook the top. Keep a close eye on your pizza and let bake until the toppings begin to brown.
Storage & Reheating Instructions
- Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container or tightly wrapped in plastic wrap in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Reheat in the oven at 350°F oven for 8-10 minutes, or until heated through. For a crispier crust, place the pizza directly on the oven rack.
- Reheat in the microwave: Place a slice on a microwave-safe plate and heat in 30-second increments on high, until warm.
- Reheat in an air fryer: Reheat pizza in an air fryer at 350°F for 2 minutes to maintain a crisp crust.
