Marg Recipe

Bring dough to temperature

If using cold-fermented dough, remove from refrigerator 60–90 minutes before baking so it relaxes and is easier to stretch. Keep it covered.

Preheat oven to highest setting (500–550°F / 260–290°C) and place a pizza stone or steel on the middle rack for at least 45 minutes to heat through.

On a lightly floured surface or semolina-dusted peel, gently stretch or shape the dough into a 10–12 inch round, leaving a slightly thicker outer rim. Do not use a rolling pin — use your hands to preserve air pockets.

Brush the outer rim lightly with 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle 1 teaspoon fine sea salt evenly around the edge.

Make the quick Neapolitan-style tomato sauce: crush the canned San Marzano tomatoes by hand or with a blender pulse until slightly chunky (do not overprocess).

In a bowl, combine the crushed tomatoes, 1 tablespoon olive oil, smashed garlic clove, 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper and 1 teaspoon dried oregano if using. Stir and taste; adjust seasoning. Let sit 10–15 minutes for flavors to marry, then remove and discard the garlic clove before using.

Use about 3/4 to 1 cup of sauce to top the stretched dough, spreading it with the back of a spoon in a thin, even layer and leaving the rim free.

Tear the fresh mozzarella into pieces roughly 1-inch in size and pat lightly on paper towel to remove excess moisture. Scatter pieces evenly over the sauced dough, keeping some open sauce patches for a classic Margherita look.

Scatter 8–12 fresh basil leaves across the pizza (some under the cheese, some on top) so they infuse flavor while baking.

If you like, sprinkle 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan or Pecorino and 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes for added complexity (optional).

Transfer the pizza to the preheated stone or steel. Bake for 6–10 minutes, depending on oven temperature and heat source, until the crust is puffed and leopard-spotted, and the mozzarella is melted with light charring.

Remove the pizza from the oven. Immediately drizzle with 1 tablespoon good-quality extra-virgin olive oil, scatter the remaining 6 fresh basil leaves, and finish with 1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt to taste.

Let rest 2 minutes, slice and serve hot. (If customer requests 'Nonna-style' +$2, replace fresh mozzarella with shredded low-moisture whole-milk mozzarella and reduce fresh basil inside — this yields a more classic, evenly-melted 'Nonna' profile.)