Weeknight Margherita Pizza
A quick yeasted dough, a no-cook tomato sauce and a very hot oven. Pizza night, sorted.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 12 min
- Serves
- 2
- Level
- Medium
Great pizza at home comes down to two things: a well-rested dough and as much heat as your oven can give you. This dough is ready after an hour's rise, and the sauce is simply good tinned tomatoes, salt and olive oil — no cooking required.
Heat a baking tray (or pizza stone) upside-down in the oven while it preheats; sliding the pizza onto a screaming-hot surface gives you a crisp, blistered base.
Weeknight Margherita Pizza
32 min total · approx. 640 kcal per serving
Ingredients
Servings
Method
- Mix the flour, yeast and salt in a bowl. Add the warm water and olive oil and bring together into a shaggy dough.
- Knead on a lightly floured surface for 8–10 minutes until smooth and springy. Return to the bowl, cover and leave somewhere warm for 1 hour, or until doubled.
- Heat the oven to its highest setting (at least 240°C / 220°C fan) with an upturned baking tray inside.
- Crush the tomatoes by hand with the garlic, a pinch of salt and a splash of olive oil.
- Divide the dough in two and stretch each piece into a thin 28cm round on a floured sheet of baking paper.
- Spread over a thin layer of sauce and scatter with mozzarella. Slide onto the hot tray, paper and all, and bake for 10–12 minutes until blistered and bubbling.
- Finish with basil and a drizzle of olive oil. Slice and eat straight away.
Cook's notePat the mozzarella dry on kitchen paper before using — it stops the pizza going soggy.
Calories are an estimate per serving. Diet tags are a guide only: always check ingredient labels for allergens, and see our food safety note.
