6ozfresh mozzarella cheese175 g, preferably mozzarella di bufala
10-12fresh basil leaves
Instructions
Preheat your oven to the highest heat possible.
Form a ball from the pizza dough. Start by making a circular motion with the palm of your hand, with some pressure. Then release the pressure gradually until you get a nice ball shape. Put your pizza dough balls on a lightly floured work surface. Dust them with some more flour, and let them proof covered with a kitchen towel for another 15 minutes.
Shape your dough to form a large, thin disk and place it in a pizza pan.
Put your tomato purée (passata) on top of your pizza dough, in the middle. With a back of a spoon or a ladle, using circular motions towards the edges, make sure the tomato covers your pizza dough. Leave an edge about 1 inch (2-3 cm) thick.
Drizzle a few drops of extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle some dried oregano and salt.
Spread larger chunks of fresh mozzarella over the tomato purée.
Add a few leaves of fresh basil.
Transfer your pizza Margherita into the oven. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges are slightly browned but you can still see the white color of the mozzarella.
To get the nice vivid green color, and of course to add more flavors, top your baked pizza with some more fresh basil leaves.