How to Create the Finest Homemade Cheese Pizza
This from-scratch cheese pizza recipe features a chewy crust, bubbling mozzarella, and a robust 5-minute sauce. It’s simple to prepare and surpasses takeout.
There’s a reason why cheese pizza remains timeless. The combination of a zesty tomato sauce and a generous helping of gooey, melted mozzarella delights everyone (especially children, of course!).
As a pizza enthusiast who’s honed various recipes from Margherita to taco pizza, I’ve prepared this cheese pizza more times than I can count. It resembles your favorite delivery cheese pizza but is about 1 million times superior. The sauce is particularly rich in tomato flavor, the cheese is exceptionally cheesy, and the crust boasts perfect chewiness. Curious about my tricks?
Why You’ll Adore This Recipe
– Chewy, crispy crust: The homemade pizza dough recipe I utilize has been perfected over a decade of home baking and has received plenty of positive reviews from readers.
– Perfect amount of cheesy: The blend of fresh mozzarella and shredded mozzarella creates the ultimate stretchy, melty layer.
– Kid-friendly crowd pleaser: Few would decline this irresistible option.
– Customizable: Begin with the classic version, then explore variations with different cheeses or crust styles.
What You’ll Require
For the Pizza
– Tipo 00 flour, bread flour, or all-purpose flour: In my view, the Italian Tipo 00 flour is essential for the finest pizza dough! However, bread flour yields a delightful, chewier crust. All-purpose flour is also acceptable: it may not be quite as fluffy and chewy but remains tasty.
– Yeast, olive oil, and salt: These are the finishing touches for the crust.
– Canned fire-roasted crushed tomatoes: Fire-roasted tomatoes provide a sweet, slightly smoky taste that ordinary crushed tomatoes lack.
– Garlic and dried oregano: Complements the sauce ingredients, along with olive oil.
– Fresh mozzarella cheese and shredded mozzarella cheese: The mix of gooey fresh mozzarella and stretchy shredded mozzarella creates a magical effect here.
– Parmesan cheese: Optional but advisable; a light dusting enhances salty richness.
Tools
– Pizza stone (highly recommended): Crucial for attaining a crispy crust in a home oven. Check out my guide on how to utilize a pizza stone.
– Pizza peel (recommended): This tool allows you to safely transfer the pizza onto the hot stone. I suggest this standard pizza peel as a great starting choice. For frequent pizza makers like me, this conveyor pizza peel simplifies things even more (though it’s somewhat pricier).
– Stand mixer: Using a stand mixer makes crafting the pizza dough a breeze, but you can also knead it manually.
How to Create This Cheese Pizza Recipe
Here are the fundamental steps for this pizza recipe:
1. Prepare the pizza dough. Follow my Best Pizza Dough recipe. This process takes about 15 minutes to mix and knead, followed by 45 minutes to rest. Alternatively, consult the variations below for simpler options.
2. Preheat. Position a pizza stone on the center rack and set the oven to 500°F. A preheat time of about 30 minutes is ideal.
3. Prepare the pizza sauce. Blend canned fire-roasted tomatoes with garlic, olive oil, dried oregano, and salt until smooth. For complete instructions, refer to my Easy Pizza Sauce recipe!
4. Stretch the dough. Dust a pizza peel with cornmeal or semolina. Shape the dough into a rough circle. Refer to my guide on How to Stretch Pizza Dough.
5. Assemble. Spread a thin layer of pizza sauce across the dough, then place pieces of fresh mozzarella and shredded mozzarella on top. Sprinkle with garlic powder, dried oregano, a dash of parmesan cheese, and a few pinches of kosher salt.
6. Bake. Use the peel to transfer the pizza directly onto the heated pizza stone. Bake for around 5 to 7 minutes, until the cheese melts and the crust turns golden brown. You can also use a pizza oven: check out my Ooni pizza guide for additional tips.
Tips for Flawless Pizza
Here are several common inquiries regarding homemade pizza:
– Adhere to the recipe instructions to achieve crust that’s neither soggy nor dense. Ensure the pizza stone is properly preheated, and apply only a thin layer of sauce to avoid a soggy crust. Use warm (not hot) water when mixing the dough, and allow it to rest for the full 45 minutes to guarantee it’s airy rather than dense.
– Utilize a pizza stone if possible, or make pan pizza. This pizza can be baked on a baking sheet: while it won’t be as crispy, it will still be flavorful. Alternatively, consider making Sheet Pan Pizza instead!
– Allow refrigerated dough to reach room temperature. Ensure refrigerated pizza dough comes to room temperature prior to stretching. Cold dough is rigid and challenging to manipulate. If it