Neapolitan Pizza Margherita on the BGE

by: Phylicia Burd

Steps

Ah, the Neapolitan Pizza Margherita - one of the world's most beloved and timeless pizzas. Whether you call it pizza margarita or simply "the classic", this iconic dish graces almost every Italian restaurant menu around the globe. But did you know you can recreate that perfect, melt-in-your-mouth experience at home on your kamado? No pizza oven, no problem! Thanks to the smoky charcoal and a trusty pizza stone, your Big Green Egg will deliver a crisp, authentic crust and that irresistible wood-fired flavor. Ready to bring the taste of Naples to your backyard?

Before you begin baking, you will need to create the dough! Make sure you're ready with bowls, a cutting board, plastic wrap, a pizza stone, pizza wedge, charcoal, and so on. 

Let's Get Started:

1. For the dough, mix the flour and yeast in a bowl. Pour in the water and olive oil and start kneading. When the ingredients are well-mixed, add the salt and knead until the dough is pliable and elastic.

2. Divide the dough into 4 equal portions and roll them into balls by folding the sides down. Place the dough balls on a cutting board, cover them with plastic wrap, and let the dough rise for at least 1 hour. 

In the meantime, light the charcoal in the Big Green Egg and heat to a temperature of 350°F with the stainless steel grid. Make sure that you have filled the EGG with sufficient charcoal because you are soon going to bake at high temperatures. 

3. Peel and finely shop the shallot and garlic for the sauce. Halve the cherry tomatoes and finely chop the olives. Cut the basil leaves into thin strips.

4. Heat the olive oil for the sauce in the Green Dutch Oven on the grid. Add the shallot and garlic and fry until the shallot is translucent.

5. Stir the ketchup, cherry tomatoes, olives and basil through the shallot mixture and let the sauce simmer for 4-5 minutes, closing the lid of the EGG after each action. 

6. Remove the Dutch Oven from the EGG and season the tomato sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Allow the sauce to cool. Remove the grid, put in the convEGGtor and replace the grid. Place the Pizza Stone on the grid and bring the EGG to a temperature of 520°F - 575°F. Heat the Pizza Stone for at least 20 minutes so that it is very hot.   

7. Peel the onion for the topping and slice it into thin, half-rings. Cut the balls of mini mozzarella in half. On a work surface generously dusted in flour, roll out one ball of dough to a thickness of approximately 3 millimeters. In order to make sure that your dough does not stick, you can first roll your ball of dough through the flour on the work surface. While you are rolling out the dough, keep turning it one quarter so that you get a nice, round shape. Use your hands to make the edge of the pizza crust a bit thicker than the bottom.

8. Spoon 4 TBSP of the tomato sauce onto the pizza crust and spread it out in circles with the rounded side of the spoon. Keep the thicker edge free of sauce. Distribute one quarter of the halved onion rings, 8 halved balls of mini mozzarella and 8 black olives over the tomato sauce and sprinkle with 3 TBSP of the grated Parmesan cheese. 

9. Insert your Pizza Wedge under the lid of your EGG to create a make-shift oven.

10. Dust the Pizza Peel with flour. Use the Pizza Peel to slide the pizza onto the Pizza Stone and bake the pizza for 8-10 minutes until crisp and done. 

11. Remove the pizza from the BGE and sprinkle with basil leaves to your liking. Cut the pizza into slices using the Pizza Cutter and serve immediately. 

12. Continue the process until you're out of pre-made dough! 

Enjoy and remember - You got this!

Written by: Phylicia Burd

Recipe by: Big Green Egg