Step 1: Crafting the Perfect Neapolitan-Style Dough

This dough benefits from a slow, cold fermentation, which develops incredible flavor and a beautiful, airy texture.

1. Combine Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the “00” flour and instant dry yeast.
2. Dissolve Salt: In a separate jug, pour in your lukewarm water and dissolve the 15g of fine sea salt completely. This is a key Neapolitan technique; keeping the salt and yeast separate initially allows the yeast to begin its work uninhibited.
3. Mix the Dough: Slowly pour about 90% of the salted water into the flour mixture while mixing with your hands or a wooden spoon. Continue to mix, gradually adding the remaining water until a shaggy, cohesive dough forms. Don’t worry if it looks messy at this stage.
4. The First Knead: Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for 10-15 minutes. Use the heel of your hand to push the dough away from you, then fold it over and turn it 90 degrees. Repeat this motion. The dough will transform from a sticky mess into a smooth, elastic, and supple ball. You’re looking for the “windowpane test”: stretch a small piece of dough between your fingers. If you can stretch it thin enough to see light through it without it tearing, the gluten is well-developed.
5. Bulk Fermentation (The First Rise): Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough inside, and turn it over to coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp kitchen towel. Let it rise at room temperature for 2 hours.
6. Cold Fermentation (The Flavor Development): After the initial 2-hour rise, place the covered bowl in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours and up to 72 hours. This slow, cold ferment is the secret to a complex, delicious, and digestible crust.
7. Balling and Second Proof: One day later (or up to 3 days later), remove the dough from the refrigerator. Divide it into four equal 250g portions. Shape each portion into a tight ball by tucking the edges underneath. Place the dough balls on a lightly floured tray, cover them with plastic wrap or a damp towel, and let them proof at room temperature for another 4-6 hours, or until they have doubled in size and are soft and airy to the touch.

Step 2: Preparing the Simple, Uncooked Tomato Sauce

This couldn’t be simpler, and it’s a game-changer. Cooking the sauce beforehand mutes its fresh flavor. The sauce should cook for the first and only time on top of your pizza in the hot oven.

1. Open the Tomatoes: Pour the can of San Marzano tomatoes into a bowl.
2. Crush by Hand: Using your hands, crush each whole tomato. This gives you a much better texture than a food processor, which can break the seeds and introduce a bitter taste. Remove any tough stem ends you find.
3. Season Simply: Add a generous pinch of fine sea salt. That’s it. Do not add herbs, garlic, or sugar. The beauty of the Margherita is in the purity of the tomato flavor.

Step 3: The Art of Stretching the Dough

Put away the rolling pin! A rolling pin crushes all the beautiful air pockets you’ve spent days developing. We stretch by hand to create the iconic cornicione (the puffy, airy outer rim).

1. Prepare Your Surface: Generously flour your work surface and your hands. Place one proofed dough ball onto the flour.
2. Press and Degas: Gently press down in the center of the dough with your fingertips, pushing the air outwards towards the edge. Leave about a 1-inch border untouched—this will become your cornicione.
3. Stretch: Pick up the dough. Let gravity do the work, gently passing it from hand to hand, turning it as you go. You can also lay it on the back of your fists and gently stretch it outwards. Work quickly and confidently until you have a round base approximately 10-12 inches in diameter, with a distinctly puffy rim.

Step 4: Assembling Your Masterpiece

Less is more. Overloading your pizza is the number one cause of a soggy center.

1. Transfer to Peel: Lightly dust a pizza peel with semolina flour or regular flour. This acts like ball bearings, helping the pizza slide into the oven. Gently lay your stretched dough onto the peel.
2. Add Sauce: Using a ladle, spoon about 1/3 cup of the crushed tomato sauce into the center of the dough. With the back of the ladle, spread the sauce in a circular motion, leaving the cornicione bare.
3. Add Cheese and Basil: Scatter your torn pieces of fresh mozzarella evenly over the sauce. Place a few fresh basil leaves on top. Some pizzaiolos add the basil after the bake to preserve its fresh green color, but adding it before infuses the entire pizza with its aroma. Try both ways to see what you prefer.
4. Finish with Oil: Drizzle a swirl of extra virgin olive oil over the entire pizza.

Step 5: The Bake – Achieving the Perfect Char and Chew

This is where the magic happens. Your goal is to replicate a scorching hot pizza oven as best as possible.

1. Preheat Your Oven and Stone: Place a pizza stone or pizza steel on a rack in the upper-middle position of your oven. Preheat the oven to its absolute highest temperature (usually 500-550°F or 260-290°C) for at least 1 hour. The stone needs to be screaming hot.
2. Launch the Pizza: Give the pizza peel a gentle shake to ensure the pizza isn’t stuck. Open the oven door, position the tip of the peel towards the back of the hot stone, and with a swift, confident jerking motion, slide the pizza off the peel and onto the stone.
3. Bake: Bake for 6-9 minutes. The exact time will depend on your oven’s true temperature. Look for a puffed-up, golden-brown cornicione with some beautiful charred “leopard spots.” The cheese should be fully melted and bubbly.
4. Retrieve and Rest: Use the peel to remove the pizza from the oven. Let it rest for 1-2 minutes before slicing. This allows the cheese to set slightly and prevents all the toppings from sliding off.