Ever wondered why Pizza Margarita is always the first choice on menus? It's got a royal backstory tied to an Italian queen! Learn to make your own yummy pizza with the recipe below.
In my book Tasty Tales I share the story behind Queen Margarita who is said to have inspired the pizza with the same name. And who doesn't like a good pizza? I know I do... Below is the recipe I use to make a tasty pizza. Use the same toppings as the Margarita or design your own!
Tips for cooking this:
This recipe takes some steps and some time, as well as weighing amounts of ingredients. Be careful with the oven, too, and be sure to ask a grownup to help you.
Time:
Takes 30 minutes to make, but also includes letting the dough rise and rest. Be sure to start on time!
Ingredients:
For the dough
15 grams of fresh yeast or 2 teaspoons (7 grams packet) of dried yeast
225 grams of plain flour, plus extra for dusting
1 ½ teaspoons of salt
Extra-virgin olive oil for greasing
1 teaspoon of sugar
For the toppings
Tomato
Mozzarella
Basil leaves, tossed on after baking
Steps:
Let's start by making the yeast mixture. Get a bowl and pour in 150ml of lukewarm water. Add the sugar. If you're using fresh yeast, crumble it into the water with your fingers. If you have dried yeast, sprinkle it over the water and whisk it in with a fork. Now, give it a swirl to dissolve the sugar and yeast. Leave it for 10-15 minutes in a warm spot until you see bubbles forming on the surface.
In another big bowl, sift the flour and salt together. Make a hole in the middle (like a well) and pour in the yeast mixture. Now, lightly oil or flour your hands and start mixing everything together until it forms a dough.
Sprinkle some flour on your work surface. Put the dough on it and scrape any bits from the bowl. Now, it's time to knead! This means squishing and folding the dough for about 5-10 minutes until it feels smooth and stretchy. Pop it in a lightly oiled bowl, cover it with cling film, and let it sit somewhere warm for about an hour until it gets bigger.
Once the dough has puffed up, it's time to "knock it back". This means gently pressing the air out of it. Rub a bit of oil or flour on your fingers, slide them under the dough, and gently push it down.
Now, let's divide the dough into two pieces. Pinch it in the middle with your fingers and roll each piece into a ball. Put them on a floured surface, cover them with a bowl or a damp cloth, and let them rest for 10-20 minutes.
After resting, it's time to stretch the dough. Make sure your hands and the surface are floured. Give the dough a little slap to get started. Then, gently press and flatten it with your fingers. Use a rolling pin to make it nice and thin. Remember, press lightly in the middle of the rolling pin, we don't want tough pizza!
Now, your pizza dough is ready to use! Time to add your favorite toppings and pop it in the oven. Queen Margarita's pizza has tomato, mozzarella, and basil leaves, tossed on after baking.
I bake these as hot as my oven can go, like a real pizza chef, so be careful not to burn yourself and wear oven mitts. My oven goes up to about 250 degrees Celcius and it takes about 10 minutes to bake a big pizza, smaller ones like these can take a little less time so check every couple minutes.
Enjoy your homemade pizza! Did this recipe make you crave more Tasty Tales? Check out your local bookshop or find it on Amazon, Bol, or elsewhere online!