The recipe
Ingredients
- 250 g proofed pizza dough, ready to bake
- 80 g canned peeled tomatoes
- 1 small garlic clove
- 1 small pinch dried oregano
- 1 tsp olive oil
- Salt to taste
- A little flour or fine semolina for shaping
Method
- Preheat the oven to 250°C with conventional top and bottom heat. Heat a suitable stone or steel according to its instructions. Keep the dough covered while it becomes supple.
- Crush the tomatoes and season lightly with salt. Peel and thinly slice the garlic.
- Open the dough on a lightly dusted surface to about 28 to 30 cm, leaving a narrow rim. Transfer to a lightly dusted peel and check that it slides.
- Spread a thin layer of tomato. Press the garlic slices lightly into the sauce and sprinkle with oregano. Launch promptly.
- Bake for roughly 8 to 12 minutes, checking from six minutes. It may finish earlier in your oven; judge the rim, underside and centre together. Drizzle with olive oil, slice and serve hot.
Start with dough that has already risen
This recipe starts with 250 g of dough that is ready to bake. Allow for mixing and proofing beforehand, using the linked Neapolitan-style dough guide if you need a method. A cold, tight ball is difficult to stretch, so leave it covered until supple. The preparation time below covers topping and baking, with preheating time for the baking surface added separately. You can heat the oven while the dough comes to temperature and you prepare the tomatoes.
Marinara has no cheese, which makes the tomato and garlic particularly noticeable. Choose tomatoes you enjoy on their own and begin with only a little salt. Distribute the garlic in thin slices instead of leaving a mound of chopped garlic in one spot. One small clove is a useful starting amount. If it is unusually large or strong, use part of it and keep the rest for another dish.
Keep the tomato and garlic from drying out
Crush peeled tomatoes with a fork, draining only clearly separated excess liquid. The sauce should spread easily but stay on the dough. Put the garlic slices on the moist tomato layer and press them in lightly. Garlic sitting on an uncovered edge can become bitter during the longer bake in a domestic oven. Use a small pinch of oregano; a dense covering of dried herbs hides the tomato flavour.
Start watching the pizza after about six minutes, even though it will often need longer. Without cheese, there is no familiar melted surface to judge. Look for a browned edge, a cooked centre and colour underneath. If the sauce dries out early, reduce excessive top heat or check the shelf position on the next bake. More oil alone cannot fix an overbaked base. A little olive oil added afterwards keeps its flavour clear.