This home made cheese pizza recipe has a chewy crust, effervescent mozzarella, and a daring 5-minute sauce. It’s straightforward to make and higher than supply.
There’s a motive cheese pizza by no means goes out of fashion. There’s one thing a couple of punchy tomato sauce and a load of gooey, melty mozzarella that makes everybody comfortable (particularly children, after all!).
As a home made pizza afficionado who’s perfected every thing from Margherita pizza to taco pizzaI’ve really made this cheese pizza recipe extra occasions than I can rely. It tastes like your favourite supply cheese pizza, however roughly 1 million occasions higher. The sauce is further tomato-y, the cheese is further tacky, and the crust is completely chewy. Need to know my secrets and techniques?
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Chewy, crispy crust: The home made pizza dough recipe I exploit has been examined and refined over a decade of residence baking and has a great deal of optimistic reader evaluations.
- Simply the quantity of tacky: Utilizing each contemporary mozzarella and shredded mozzarella makes the most effective stretchy, melty layer
- Child-friendly crowd pleaser: There aren’t many individuals who will flip this one down
- Customizable: Begin basic, then department out into variations with completely different cheeses or crust types
What You’ll Want
For the Pizza
- Tipo 00 flour, bread flour, or all goal flour: The Italian Tipo 00 flour is the important thing to the most effective pizza dough, for my part! However bread flour pizza dough can also be scrumptious, with a chewier crust. All-purpose flour works too: the feel is just not as fluffy and chewy however it’s nonetheless good.
- Yeast, olive oil, and salt: These spherical out the crust components.
- Canned fire-roasted crushed tomatoes: Fireplace-roasted tomatoes convey a candy, barely smoky taste that common crushed tomatoes don’t have.
- Garlic and dried oregano: Rounds out the sauce components, together with olive oil.
- Contemporary mozzarella cheese and shredded mozzarella cheese: The mix of gooey contemporary mozzarella and stretchy shredded mozzarella make magic right here.
- Parmesan cheese: Non-compulsory however beneficial; a lightweight sprinkle provides a salty depth.
Instruments
- Pizza stone (extremely beneficial): That is the important thing to getting a crispy crust in a house oven. See my information to find out how to use a pizza stone.
- Pizza peel (beneficial): This device permits you to slide the pizza onto the new stone safely. I like to recommend this normal pizza peel as starter choice. In case you make numerous pizza like I do, this conveyor pizza peel makes issues even simpler (although it’s a bit extra expensive).
- Stand mixer: It’s best to make the pizza dough utilizing a stand mixer, however you can too knead it by hand.
Watch Alex stretch and form the dough from begin to end! It’s about 90 seconds and the most effective methods to get snug with the method earlier than you begin.
Make This Cheese Pizza Recipe
Listed here are the fundamental steps for this pizza recipe (when you’re able to get began, bounce to the recipe):
- Step 1: Make the pizza dough. Comply with my Finest Pizza Dough recipe. it takes about quarter-hour to combine and knead, then 45 minutes to relaxation. Or, see the variations beneath for some simpler choices.
- Step 2: Preheat. Place a pizza stone on the middle rack and preheat oven to 500°F. It’s greatest to preheat for about half-hour.
- Step 3: Make the pizza sauce. Mix canned fire-roasted tomatoes with garlic, olive oil, dried oregano, and salt till clean. Full directions in my Straightforward Pizza Sauce recipe!
- Step 4: Stretch the dough. Mud a pizza peel with cornmeal or semolina. Stretch the dough right into a tough circle. See my information on Stretch Pizza Dough.
- Step 5: Assemble. Unfold a skinny layer of pizza sauce over the dough, then add items of contemporary mozzarella and the shredded mozzarella. Sprinkle with garlic powder, dried oregano, a pinch of parmesan cheese, and some pinches of kosher salt.
- Step 6: Bake. Use the peel to slip the pizza instantly onto the new pizza stone. Bake about 5 to 7 minutes, till the cheese is melted and the crust is golden brown. You may also make it in a pizza oven: see my Ooni pizza guides for extra.
Ideas for Excellent Pizza
Listed here are just a few widespread questions on the subject of home made pizza:
- Comply with the recipe instructions for crust that’s not too soggy or dense. Be certain to preheat the pizza stone correctly, and add solely a skinny layer of sauce to forestall soggy cryst. Be certain the water is heat (not sizzling) while you combine the dough, and let it relaxation the total 45 minutes to verify it’s ethereal and never dense.
- Use a pizza stone when you can, or make pan pizza. You possibly can bake this pizza on a baking sheet: it received’t be as crispy, however it would nonetheless style good. Or, make Sheet Pan Pizza as an alternative!
- Let refrigerated dough come to room temperature. Be certain to let refrigerated pizza dough come to room temperature earlier than stretching. Chilly dough is stiff and laborious to work with. If it retains shrinking, cowl it and let it relaxation for one more 10 minutes.
Easy Variations to Strive
For the pizza dough for this cheese pizza, listed here are just a few dough recipe choices:
- Skinny crust: My Skinny Crust Pizza Dough makes a thinner dough that you simply roll out: it’s simpler to work with and makes a lighter pizza.
- Pan pizza: My Sheet Pan Pizza is even simpler and doesn’t require a pizza stone! It makes the equal of three medium pizzas without delay. You may also make a Pan Pizza in a forged iron skillet.
- All shredded mozzarella: Skip the contemporary and add a bit extra shredded mozzarella for a extra New York–model pizza with an evenly melted, golden high.
- Cheese mix: Combine in slightly provolone or fontina, or Pecorino romano and gorgonzola for a Quattro Formaggi pizza impact.
- Burrata cheese: Use the favored cream crammed mozzarella on pizza for a subsequent degree expertise! Strive my Basic Burrata Pizza.
Serve It
The primary time I made this pizza recipe, I served to my nephews and son for a sleepover with carrot sticks and wholesome ranch dressing (and Strawberry Daiquiris for the adults!). Listed here are just a few nice sides to go along with pizza:
Storing Leftovers
Retailer leftover cheese pizza refrigerated for as much as 3 days.
To reheat, place slices in a dry skillet over medium-low warmth with a lid on high for 3 to 4 minutes. The underside crisps up whereas the steam from the lid melts the cheese. You probably have an air fryer, it additionally works nice for reheating pizza.
Dietary Notes
This cheese pizza recipe is vegetarian.
Steadily Requested Questions
Complete milk shredded mozzarella is the gold normal for melting and browning. I like to mix it with contemporary mozzarella for a fair cheesier outcome. You may also use a cheese mix: provolone, fontina, or a lightweight sprinkle of parmesan cheese all work properly.
At all times sauce first. Unfold the pizza sauce in a skinny, even layer earlier than including any cheese.
Use a preheated pizza stone (45 minutes minimal at 500°F) and a skinny layer of sauce. Utilizing Tipo 00 or bread flour in your pizza dough additionally contributes to a chewier, crispier pizza crust. If you’d like a skinny crispy crust, attempt my Skinny Crust Pizza Dough.
At 500°F on a preheated pizza stone, a home made cheese pizza takes about 5 to 7 minutes to bake.
Do-it-yourself Cheese Pizza
Why order out when you may make a stellar cheese pizza at residence? This one is like your favourite supply pizza, however infinitely tastier.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Prepare dinner Time: 7 minutes
- Complete Time: 1 hour 7 minutes
- Yield: 1 pizza (8 slices) 1x
- Class: Foremost Dish
- Methodology: Baked
- Delicacies: American
- Make the pizza dough: Comply with the Finest Pizza Dough recipe to organize the dough. (This takes about quarter-hour to make and 45 minutes to relaxation.)
- Place a pizza stone within the oven and preheat to 500°F. OR preheat your pizza oven (right here’s the pizza oven we use).
- Make the pizza sauce: Make the Straightforward Pizza Sauce.
- Put together the toppings: Slice or tear the contemporary mozzarella into small items.
- Bake the pizza: When the oven is prepared, mud a pizza peel with cornmeal or semolina flour. (In case you don’t have a pizza peel, you should utilize a rimless baking sheet or the again of a rimmed baking sheet. However a pizza peel is properly definitely worth the funding!) Stretch the dough right into a circle; see Stretch Pizza Dough for directions. Then gently place the dough onto the pizza peel.
- Unfold the pizza sauce over the dough utilizing the again of a spoon to create a skinny layer. Add the items of contemporary mozzarella cheese evenly throughout the dough, then high with the shredded mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle evenly with the garlic powder, dried oregano, and some pinches of kosher salt.
- Use the pizza peel to fastidiously switch the pizza onto the preheated pizza stone. Bake the pizza till the cheese and crust are properly browned, about 5 to 7 minutes within the oven (or 1 minute in a pizza oven). Slice into items and serve instantly.
Notes
- No pizza stone? Use a baking sheet and when you can, preheat it earlier than utilizing (watch out when transferring the pizza to and from the sheet). Or, use my Sheet Pan Pizza recipe.
- Retailer-bought dough: This works too! Let it come totally to room temperature earlier than stretching (enable to take a seat at room temperature for about half-hour).
- Make-ahead: Each the dough and sauce maintain within the fridge for as much as 3 days.
