The Margherita Sbagliata (“Mistaken Margherita” or “Margherita Done Wrong”) is the signature pizza of Franco Pepe, the world’s pre-eminent pizza chef. It’s a deceptively simple pizza topped only with mozzarella before it goes in the oven. Once fully baked, the white pizza is finished with red dashes of tomato passata and green dots of basil and olive oil pesto.

For home pizza chefs, Franco proposes two versions of his minimalist masterpiece: A pan pizza baked in an electric or gas home oven and a stone pizza baked in a traditional Neapolitan style oven.

1 small tin plum tomatoes, preferable San Marzano
1 bunch basil (about 10 grams)
extra virgin olive oil
85-90 grams (about 3 ounces) buffalo or cow’s milk (fior di latte) mozzarella, torn into strips
salt
1 dough ball (240-260 grams)

To make the passata:

Drain the canned tomatoes of the juice, saving juice for other uses, and blitz the tomatoes until smooth, either with an immersion blender or puree in a food processor. Strain through a sieve or food mill. Transfer to squeeze bottle..

To make the basil and olive oil pesto:

Wash and dry the basil leaves, combine with 150ml extra virgin olive oil and 1 ice cube (to preserve green colour of pesto) and blitz with immersion blender or in food processor until smooth. Season to taste with salt and transfer to squeeze bottle.

To make the pizza in a pan:

1. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees C (480 degrees F)

2. Spread olive oil liberally over the surface of a 25cm (10 in) low-sided square or 30cm (12 in) round baking pan.

3. Transfer dough to baking sheet and turn in oil until throughout coated. Spread the dough gently with your hands. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 2 to 3 hours.

4. With oiled hands, push and stretch the dough into the corners or the edges of the pan. Transfer to oven and bake for 5 minutes.

5. Remove from oven, distribute mozzarella evenly over the pizza, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, return  to oven and bake until the bottom of the pizza is golden, about 5 additional minutes.

To make the Margherita Sbagliata in a pizza stone:

1. Place a baking stone in the oven preheat oven to 250 degrees C (480 degrees F)

2. Dust a work surface with flour. Open up the dough ball on the surface, flattening it with your fingertips and pushing the air bubbles out from the centre of the dough to the rim. Press down on the dough with the fingertips of both hands. Release your left hand to grab and gently stretch the dough. With your left hand still holding the dough, turn it over onto your your right hand. Return the dough to the surface and repeat.

3. Distribute the shredded mozzarella evenly over the pizza base, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, transfer to oven and bake for 7-to-8 minutes.

To finish the pizza:

Remove the pizza from the oven and draw dashes of tomato passata and dots of basil pesto over the surface.

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