The Silver Spoon Celebrates 20 Years of Bringing the Best of Italian Gastronomy Into American Kitchens

In 1889, King Umberto I and his wife, Queen Margherita, curious about the Neapolitan staple food, invited the pizza maker Don Raffaele to the kitchen of the Cappo di Monte palace in Naples, where he cooked a few samples. The queen’s choice, with simple mozzarella, tomato, and basil, became known the world over as Pizza Margherita. At the end of the eighteenth century, tomatoes became a readily available ingredient, having previously been grown only in the south of Italy, and pizza as we know it spread from Naples and across the world. When tomatoes are not in season, substitute them with a good tomato sauce.

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For the pizza dough
Preparation time: 30 minutes, plus 3 hours resting
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Makes: 2 large pizzas

For the Margherita
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 22 minutes
Makes: 1 large pizza or 2 small pizzas

Ingredients:
For the dough:

¾ ounce/20 g fresh yeast or 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
scant 1 teaspoon sugar
2½ cups/350 g Italian type “0” flour
1¼ cups/150 g Italian type “00” flour
1¼ teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

For the Margherita

Olive oil, for brushing and drizzling
All-purpose plain flour, for dusting
6-8 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
2 mozzarella cheese balls, sliced
12 fresh basil leaves, torn
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

For the pizza dough

Dissolve the yeast in a bowl with ⅔ cup/150 ml lukewarm water and add the sugar.

Sift the flours into a mound in a large bowl or on a clean work counter and make a well in the center. Make a groove around the edge and sprinkle the salt in it. Pour the yeast mixture, oil, and another ⅔ cup/150 ml lukewarm water into the well.

Mix to make a soft dough and knead until smooth.

Shape into a ball, then place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap (clingfilm), and let rise (prove) in a warm place for about 2 hours.

Lightly punch down the dough. Cover with a slightly damp dish towel and let rise for 1 hour.

Use the pizza dough as instructed in your recipe.

For the Margherita

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Brush a baking sheet with oil or line with parchment paper. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured counter, then press it out on the baking sheet.

Sprinkle the tomatoes on top and drizzle with oil. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Add the mozzarella slices and basil, season with salt and pepper, and drizzle with oil. Bake for an additional 7-8 minutes.

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Excerpted fromThe Silver Spoon © 2005 by The Silver Spoon. Photography © 2019 by Haarala Hamilton. Reproduced by permission of Phaidon. All rights reserved.