Herb and Garlic Margherita Pizza

One of the best pizza combinations is the Margherita which is simply prepared with sauce, tomatoes, cheese, and basil. Herb and Garlic Margherita Pizza ups the flavour profile with an easy, savoury, homemade pizza dough filled with dried herbs and spices. You have to try this!

The Margherita Pizza has some impressive yet humble beginnings. Did you know that in 1889 that chef Raffaele Esposito invented the dish? He did so in honour of the Queen of Italy, Margherita of Savoy, and the Italian unification. That is why the toppings are red, white and green – just like the colours of Italy’s national flag. Even though I’m jazzing up the pizza here, my Herb and Garlic Margherita Pizza do not stray too far from the original recipe.

The origins of the Margherita Pizza came from mixing similar toppings that were already present in Naples at that time. Forty years prior to Raffaele’s pizza, in 1849, there were records of different pizza toppings like basil, tomatoes and thin slices of mozzarella. The mozzarella was thinly sliced and added to the toppings already present.

A pizza with sliced fresh tomatoes and basil leaves is not indicative of the pizzas I grew up with. In our home, pizzas never had fresh tomatoes on them, but they most certainly did have sausage and bacon! Now I make pizzas that are either very simple like this one, or something that is a little more complex. Presently, we are stuck on having pizzas with lots of bell peppers, tomatoes, and artichokes!

MAKE-AT-HOME PIZZA

A few years ago, before the pandemic and lockdowns started, we ordered pizza every Friday night. After a long week of work and school, it was just what we needed to put the week behind us. Then, back when the lockdowns started at the beginning of the pandemic, we were spending much of our time at our house where pizza joints were not very close. Eventually one opened up, which had great pizza, but it has since closed. Even while it was in business, I still opted to make pizza at home most of the time.

After a few months, I kept running into the problem of not being able to find our regular can of pizza sauce at grocery stores. We tried others, but I was never happy with them. I made a promise to myself that I would make a batch of pizza sauce as soon as I could get my hands on some summer fresh tomatoes. I was finally able to recreate a pizza sauce worthy of my delicious homemade pizzas. Because good pizza comes down to two things – great sauce and great dough! And my homemade pizza sauce doubles as a marinara-style dipping sauce too!

MY BEST PIZZA CRUST RECIPE

You can use store-bought, frozen pizza crust for this recipe. Or, you can make your own! My pizza dough recipe is going to be your new favourite pizza dough – trust me!  The dough takes about 15 minutes from start to finish.  And, you can load the crust with seasonings like oregano, basil, and even dried red chili flakes for some heat!

To make homemade dough, fill a glass or metal mixing bowl with hot tap water. This will temper the bowl which is important to yeast activation and growth. Measure out 3/4 cup of water that’s 110 degrees F. Pour the water out of the bowl. Place one teaspoon of sugar into the bottom of the bowl and pour over the 3/4 cup of water. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of active dry yeast over the surface of the water and let sit for two minutes.

Next, whisk in 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add 2 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour and any seasonings you would like too. Use a wooden spoon to stir the flour into the water and oil until the liquid is absorbed. Use your hand to knead the dough until it forms a smooth ball. Cover with a clean tea towel and set aside to rise for 15 minutes. (Be sure to keep away from drafts or an open window.) Then, it’s ready to roll out and assemble your pizza!

HERE IS WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post. 

FOR THE DOUGH:

• Active Dry Yeast – Do not confuse this with Instant Yeast. Active dry yeast needs to be dissolved in water before use, while instant yeast can be mixed right into dry ingredients.
• All Purpose Flour – No need for anything special. Just use regular all-purpose flour. I have not tried this recipe with any other type of flour.
• Seasonings, Herbs and Spices – You will need dried basil, dried oregano, dried thyme, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and ground black pepper.
• Sugar
• Olive Oil
• Water

FOR THE PIZZA:

• Olive Oil – This will add flavour.
• Garlic – Fresh garlic will give your pizza sauce so much flavour!
• Cheese – Good mozzarella is the classic choice and the only choice when it comes to authentic Margherita Pizza. Don’t buy the pre-shredded stuff. Buy fresh mozzarella that you can tear with your hands or a ball that you can slice and layer onto the pizza.
• Tomatoes – One of my favourite tomatoes for pizza is cocktail tomatoes. They are smaller – about the size of a gold ball – and they have fewer seeds. I grow my own in the summer, but in the winter months, you can find them in most grocery stores. Roma tomatoes are a great substitute.
• Fresh Basil – You can roughly chop it, tear it with your hands, or just place whole leaves onto the hot pizza when it comes out of the oven. Fresh basil will wilt and turn black with heat, so hold off on the fresh basil until you are ready to serve.
• Parmesan Cheese – This adds saltiness and lots of familiar pizza flavour.

SUMMER FRESH TOMATOES

If you’re thinking about making this Herb and Garlic Margherita Pizza, it would be best if you have some summer fresh tomatoes on hand. The whole concept of a simple recipe like this is about combining fresh tomatoes with a few basic ingredients. I have used cocktail tomatoes, however, any tomato will do, but I think the best tomatoes are the ones with more meatiness.

When a tomato is described as being meatier, it simply means that the ratio of tomato flesh to the seeds and pulp mixture is higher. A good example of this is the beefsteak tomato. They are quite large and the walls of the tomato are thick and sturdy. They’re most often found on sandwiches for this reason.

Me, personally, I prefer the Roma tomato. In my opinion, this variety has the best flavour, and most certainly, the best colour. A perfectly ripe Roma tomato has a deep red colour and just pops in contrast to other recipe ingredients. I use the Roma tomato almost exclusively in my recipes. Tomatoes on the vine are perfect for this recipe too! For the sake of simplicity and ease, I’m using cocktail tomatoes because one slice makes for the perfect big bite!

HOW TO MAKE HERB AND GARLIC MARGHERITA PIZZA

Fill a mixing bowl with hot tap water. This will temper the bowl which is important to yeast activation and growth. Measure out 3/4 cup of water that’s 110 degrees F. Pour the water out of the bowl. Place one teaspoon of sugar into the bottom of the bowl and pour over the 3/4 cup of water. Sprinkle the yeast over the surface of the water and let sit for two minutes.

Next, whisk in the olive oil. Add the flour, dried basil, dried oregano, dried thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt. Use a wooden spoon to stir the flour and seasonings into the water and oil. Use your hand to knead the dough until it forms a smooth ball. Cover with a clean tea towel and set aside to rise. (Be sure to keep away from drafts or an open window.)

ASSEMBLING THE PIZZA

Once the dough is ready, preheat your oven to 500 degrees F, and lightly spray a pizza pan with non-stick cooking spray. Place the dough onto the pan and use a rolling pin to roll out the dough. Then, push the dough outward with flat hand hands until the dough reaches the perimeter of the entire pan.

Next, add the olive oil and garlic to a small bowl and whisk to combine. Pour this onto the pizza and spread it out so that it covers the surface of the dough, leaving 3/4 inch around the edge bare. Next, place the torn or sliced mozzarella cheese onto the dough. Distribute the tomato slices next. Place the pizza in the oven and bake for 10 minutes.

Once done, remove the pizza from the oven and sprinkle over the ground black pepper and parmesan cheese. This pizza should be served hot, so just before bringing the pizza to the table, top it with fresh basil leaves and enjoy!

SERVING SUGGESTIONS

Sometimes we need to make a main dish spread a little further. A sure way to do this is to serve it with really good sides. Typically, a pizza is served with salad, so why not do just that? You can serve a bolder-tasting salad like a Caesar, or something milder that will not compete too much with the flavour of the pizza like this Tomato Panzanella Salad.

In our home, we love to have potato wedges with pizza. These Paprika and Parmesan Potato Wedges are the most delicious I’ve ever tasted! We also love garlic bread with pizza. I know, it’s a lot of carbs, but it’s not like we eat like this every single day.

And, if you really want to go all in, I’d suggest these Homemade Mozzarella Sticks or these Jalapeno Poppers. Both of them are great sides and are super cheesy too!