Neapolitan Style Margherita Pizza with Basil and Buffalo Mozzarella
Wood-fired style artisan pizza featuring hand-crushed San Marzano tomatoes, creamy buffalo mozzarella, and aromatic fresh sweet basil.
Chef Elena Rossi
Published on October 18, 2026
True Neapolitan pizza is an art of restraint. Named in honor of Queen Margherita of Savoy in 1889, its red, white, and green components mirror the Italian flag and deliver pure culinary harmony.
Achieving pizzeria-quality crust in a home kitchen requires a screaming hot baking steel or stone and high-protein flour with high hydration.
Resist the temptation to overload toppings. A light ladle of crushed San Marzano tomatoes and torn buffalo mozzarella allows the crust to puff and char without turning soggy.
Drizzle high-grade extra virgin olive oil over the charred pie right as it emerges from the oven to awaken the fresh basil aroma.
Neapolitan Style Margherita Pizza with Basil and Buffalo Mozzarella
By Chef Elena Rossi • Published in Quick Dinners
Ingredients6 items
- 1 ball long-fermented pizza dough (approx. 250g)
- 1/2 cup canned San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes, hand crushed with a pinch of salt
- 4 oz fresh buffalo mozzarella or fresh fior di latte, torn into chunks
- 8-10 fresh sweet basil leaves
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- Semolina flour for dusting and shaping
Step-by-Step Instructions
- 1
Preheat Oven and Steel
Place a baking steel or stone on the top rack of your oven. Preheat oven to 500°F (260°C) or highest setting for at least 45 minutes.
- 2
Stretch the Dough
Dust dough with semolina. Press from center outward with fingertips, preserving an airy outer rim (cornicione), stretching into a 12-inch circle.
- 3
Sauce and Top Lightly
Spread crushed tomatoes in a thin layer across dough leaving a 1/2-inch border. Distribute torn mozzarella evenly over sauce.
- 4
Bake to Charred Perfection
Slide pizza onto hot steel. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes until crust is blistered and cheese is bubbly. Remove, top with fresh basil, and drizzle olive oil.
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