Daily Italian Recipe · Pizza
Pizza Margherita at Home
Bring a taste of Campania home with Pizza Margherita: a hand-stretched base, tomato, Italian-milk mozzarella and fresh basil. The Italian Club Hong Kong delivers the dough, pizza sauce and mozzarella across Hong Kong via SF Express and Lalamove.
Total time
110 minutes
Serves
2 people
Difficulty
Easy, with a little hand-stretching practice
Origin
Campania
Pizza Margherita belongs to Naples, Campania, where simple toppings and carefully handled dough became a defining expression of local cooking. Tomato, mozzarella, basil and olive oil remain its essential ingredients.
A famous story links its name to Queen Margherita’s visit to Naples in 1889, although the royal naming account is disputed. This home-oven version preserves the classic ingredients and hand-stretching technique without pretending to reproduce the fierce heat of a traditional wood-fired oven.
Ingredients
Method
- 1
1. Relax the dough
If frozen, thaw the dough in the refrigerator according to its pack instructions before starting; thawing time is additional. Keep the two dough balls covered and let them stand at room temperature for 60–90 minutes, until supple and easy to stretch. In a warm Hong Kong kitchen, check earlier rather than letting the dough become overly slack.
- 2
2. Heat the baking surface
During the dough’s resting time, place a pizza stone or steel on an upper-middle oven shelf and preheat at 250–275°C, or your oven’s highest suitable baking setting, for 45–60 minutes. Follow the equipment’s temperature limits. A heavy, uncoated metal baking tray placed upside down is a useful alternative.
- 3
3. Drain and portion the toppings
Cut the mozzarella into thin strips and drain in a sieve in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, then blot dry. Divide it into two 100 g portions. Measure two 80 g portions of tomato sauce. Wash and thoroughly dry the basil.
- 4
4. Stretch the first base
Lightly dust the worktop with flour. Press one dough ball from the centre outwards, leaving a 1–2 cm rim untouched, then gently stretch it into a 28–30 cm round. Do not use a rolling pin. Transfer to a lightly floured pizza peel and check that it slides freely.
- 5
5. Top lightly and bake
Spread 80 g sauce thinly over the base, leaving the rim clear, and drizzle with 5 ml olive oil. Slide onto the hot baking surface and bake for 5–7 minutes, until the base has set and the rim is beginning to colour. Using the peel, briefly draw out the pizza, distribute 100 g drained mozzarella over it, then return it to the oven for 3–5 minutes. It is ready when the underside is browned, the rim is cooked through and the cheese has just melted. Timing varies with oven heat; adding mozzarella later prevents it drying out during a home-oven bake.
- 6
6. Finish and repeat
Scatter half the basil over the hot pizza and serve immediately. Let the baking surface recover its heat for a few minutes while you stretch and top the second dough ball, then repeat with the remaining sauce, oil, mozzarella and basil. Allow approximately 20 minutes of baking time for both pizzas, excluding the brief heat-recovery interval.
Chef's secret
A dry topping and a thoroughly heated baking surface matter more than extra flour. Drain the mozzarella well, use only a thin layer of sauce and stretch the second pizza just before baking so it does not stick to the peel.
Did you know?
The raised edge is called the cornicione. Pressing from the centre while leaving that rim untouched helps preserve the dough’s gas bubbles, allowing the edge to puff during baking.
Common mistakes
- Rolling the dough flat: this compresses the rim and sacrifices its airy texture.
- Using the whole 300 g sauce pack for two pizzas: excess sauce and wet mozzarella can leave the centre soggy.
- Baking on a cold surface: the topping can overcook before the underside develops colour.
Storage & reheating
Refrigerate leftover pizza in an airtight container within 2 hours and eat within 2 days. Reheat on a preheated metal tray at 200°C for approximately 6–10 minutes, until hot throughout and the base is crisp. Refrigerate unused sauce promptly and follow its label’s storage and use-by instructions. Keep unused dough chilled or frozen according to its pack instructions.
Shop the recipe
Delivered across Hong Kong by SF Express or Lalamove.
FAQ
Can I make this without a pizza stone or steel?
Yes. Preheat a heavy, uncoated metal baking tray upside down and slide the pizza onto its flat surface using a peel. Make sure the tray is rated for your chosen oven temperature.
Why does my dough spring back when I stretch it?
It is usually too cold or insufficiently relaxed. Cover it and rest for another 10–15 minutes, then stretch gently again rather than forcing it or using a rolling pin.
Do I need all three product packs in full?
Use the full pack of two 300 g dough balls, 160 g of the 300 g pizza sauce pack, and two 100 g mozzarella packs. The recipe makes two individual pizzas.