Food Recipes Neapolitan-Style Margherita Pizza 4.7 (6) Add your rating & review Do you remember that scene in the movie Eat, Pray, Love, when Julia Roberts takes her first bite of pizza? She almost passes out from the bliss of tasting a slice. It's that level of deliciousness that we're going for here, with this classic rendition of the famous Naples pie. There are just a few toppings: crushed tomatoes, olive oil, fresh mozzarella cheese, and basil leaves, which means quality counts even more than normal. Cue Italian music and la bella vita can be yours. And there's no need for a pizza stone or any other fancy pizza equipment to replicate a restaurant Neopolitan-style pizza right in your own kitchen. The combo of the dough, the technique, and the high heat of the oven will yield incredible results, even delivering leoparding, the dark spots on the crust often seen in true Neopolitan pizza. P.S. It might seem unusual to crank your oven up to 525º F, but the super-high temperature is attempting to replicate a woodfired oven. By Ananda Eidelstein Ananda Eidelstein Ananda Eidelstein is a vegetable-loving food writer, recipe developer, and editor with nearly a decade of culinary and food media experience. Real Simple's Editorial Guidelines Updated on April 25, 2019 Rate PRINT Share Trending Videos Close this video player Do you remember that scene in the movie Eat, Pray, Love, when Julia Roberts takes her first bite of pizza? She almost passes out from the bliss of tasting a slice. It’s that level of delicious that we’re going for here, with this classic rendition of the famous Naples pie. There are just a few toppings: crushed tomatoes, olive oil, fresh mozzarella cheese, and basil leaves, which means quality counts even more than normal. Cue Italian music and la bella vita can be yours. And there's no need for a pizza stone or any other fancy pizza equipment to replicate a restaurant Neopolitan-style pizza right in your own kitchen. The combo of the dough, the technique, and the high heat of the oven will yield incredible results. Get the recipe: Neapolitan Pizza. Photo: Greg DuPree Hands On Time: 20 mins Total Time: 1 hr 20 mins Yield: 2 pizzas (serves 4) Ingredients 2 9-oz. balls Master Pizza Dough All-purpose flour, for work surface 4 tablespoons crushed tomatoes, divided 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided 4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced, divided Fresh basil leaves, for serving Directions Place dough balls on a baking sheet; cover with plastic wrap. Let rest at room temperature for at least 45 minutes and up to 2 hours. (This will make it easier to stretch.) Preheat oven to 525°F with racks in uppermost and lowest positions. Lightly flour a work surface. Place 1 dough ball on surface (leave second ball covered); turn to coat in flour. Press firmly with fingertips and palm to flatten to an 8-inch round, starting from the center and working toward the edge. With hands at 10 and 2 o’clock, lift dough and rotate, moving hands around the edge, letting dough stretch to a 10-inch round. Transfer to a baking sheet. Spread 2 tablespoons crushed tomatoes over dough, leaving a 1-inch border. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil and top with half the cheese. Bake on lower rack until bottom of crust is browned (use a spatula to peek underneath), 7 to 9 minutes. Transfer to top rack; increase oven temperature to broil. Watching closely, broil until crust is lightly charred, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from oven; top with basil. Repeat with remaining dough and toppings. Rate It Print