Friday Night Margherita Pizza

The hottest oven you have and a preheated sheet pan get you surprisingly close to a pizzeria. You do not need a wood-fired oven, a pizza steel or any special equipment to make a blistered, chewy crust at home. You need a simple dough you stir together in the morning, a long, slow rise on the counter while you go about your day, and a little patience while the oven heats. By Friday night you will have two bubbly Margherita pizzas, fragrant with fresh basil, coming out of your own kitchen in about 10 minutes each. In our house, it has become the way we start every weekend.

Prep 20 min + rise · Cook 10 min · Serves 2 pizzas

A dough you make in the morning

The secret to great pizza flavor is time. A long rise lets the yeast slowly ferment the dough, building a deeper, slightly tangy flavor and a crust that is airy and chewy instead of dense and bready. Because this recipe uses only a teaspoon of yeast, the dough takes its time, rising gently over 6 to 8 hours. Mix it before work or school, cover the bowl and leave it on the counter. When you walk in the door that evening, it will be soft, puffy and ready to stretch.

Bread flour is worth seeking out. It has more protein than all-purpose flour, which develops more gluten and gives you that satisfying chew and good structure. If all you have is all-purpose, the pizza will still be delicious, just a little softer.

Ingredients

• 3 cups bread flour
• 1 cup warm water
• 1 teaspoon instant yeast
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup crushed tomatoes
• 8 oz fresh mozzarella
• Fresh basil

Keep a little olive oil on hand for the pan and for drizzling, and a pinch of salt for the sauce. The warm water should feel like a comfortable bath, around 100°F; too hot and it can harm the yeast. For the sauce, we do not cook anything. Good canned crushed tomatoes seasoned with a pinch of salt and a splash of olive oil taste brighter and fresher than a long-simmered sauce, and the high heat of the oven concentrates them perfectly.

How to make it

1. Mix the dough and let it rise 6–8 hours on the counter.
2. Heat the oven to its highest setting with a sheet pan inside for 45 minutes.
3. Stretch half the dough thin, top with tomatoes and mozzarella.
4. Slide onto the hot pan and bake 8–10 minutes. Add basil after baking.

Mixing and rising

Stir the flour, yeast and salt together in a large bowl, then add the warm water and mix with a wooden spoon or your hand until no dry flour remains. The dough will look shaggy. Cover it and let it rest for 15 minutes, then knead it in the bowl for a minute or two until it feels smoother. Cover the bowl tightly and leave it at room temperature. It is ready when it has roughly doubled and looks bubbly on the surface.

Why the pan needs 45 minutes

Most home ovens top out somewhere between 500°F and 550°F, far cooler than a pizzeria oven. A heavy sheet pan turned upside down and preheated for a full 45 minutes stores a lot of heat. When the dough lands on it, that heat rushes straight into the bottom of the crust, puffing the edges and giving you a crisp, spotty base. Place the rack in the upper third of the oven so the top browns at the same time.

Stretching and launching

Divide the dough in half. On a floured counter, press each piece into a disk with your fingertips, leaving a thicker rim around the edge. Then lift it and let gravity stretch it over the backs of your hands, rotating as you go, until it is about 12 inches across. Do not use a rolling pin, which presses out the air bubbles you waited all day for. Lay the dough on a sheet of parchment, add the toppings, and use the parchment to slide it onto the hot pan.

Make it your own

Let the kids top their own — mini pizzas bake in 6 minutes.

Recipe tester Molly Grant

Molly’s mini pizza trick turns dinner into a family activity. Divide the dough into six or eight small balls, give everyone a piece of parchment and set out bowls of toppings. Little hands love stretching their own crust, even if the shapes are creative. Once you have mastered the Margherita, try a few of our other favorites:

• Pepperoni: Add thin slices before baking so the edges curl and crisp.
• White pizza: Skip the tomatoes and use ricotta, garlic and mozzarella.
• Garden: Top with thin zucchini, red onion and sweet peppers.
• Pesto: Spread basil pesto instead of tomato sauce and add cherry tomatoes.
• Hot honey: Drizzle a little chili-infused honey over a salami pizza after baking.

Tips for the best crust

A few small habits make a big difference in how your pizza turns out:

• Tear the mozzarella into small pieces and pat it dry with a paper towel so it does not make the crust soggy.
• Use a light hand with the sauce. A thin layer is plenty.
• Add fresh basil after baking. In a very hot oven it blackens in seconds.
• Let the oven recover for 5 minutes between pizzas so the second one is as crisp as the first.
• Finish with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of flaky salt.

Safety matters with an oven this hot. Use thick, dry oven mitts, keep kids back when you open the door and set the hot pan on a heatproof surface.

Planning ahead

If your schedule changes, the dough is flexible. After it rises, you can punch it down, cover it and refrigerate it for up to 2 days. The cold slows the yeast and actually develops even more flavor. Take it out of the refrigerator about an hour before stretching so it relaxes and becomes easier to shape. You can also freeze dough balls, lightly oiled and wrapped, for up to a month. Thaw them overnight in the refrigerator.

If you have a pizza stone or steel

A sheet pan works well, but if you already own a pizza stone or steel, use it the same way. Place it on the upper-middle rack and preheat it for a full 45 minutes to an hour at your oven’s highest setting. A steel holds and transfers heat even faster than a stone, so watch the first pizza closely, as it may be done in as little as 6 or 7 minutes. Some home cooks like to switch the oven to the broiler for the last minute or two to blister the top, but stay right next to the oven if you try this, because the cheese and crust can go from golden to burned in seconds. Whatever surface you use, a wooden or metal pizza peel makes sliding the pizza in and out easier. In a pinch, an upside-down rimless baking sheet lined with parchment does the job just as well.

Key takeaway: A slow, all-day rise and a sheet pan preheated for 45 minutes are the keys to a pizzeria-style crust at home.

Make Friday night pizza night

Homemade pizza is cheaper than delivery, easy to customize and a lot more fun. Once the dough becomes part of your Friday morning routine, dinner practically makes itself. Add this recipe to your weekly meal plan, use the servings scaler for a bigger party and turn on cook mode so your screen stays bright while you stretch the dough.