Cheese Pizza
Author:
Thomas Sixt is a chef, food photographer, cookbook author and blogger.
Here he shares recipes, answers cooking questions and helps with cooking.
You can find my original ➽ Cheese Pizza Recipe – Pizza Quattro Formaggi in this post.
The simple four-cheese pizza is an evergreen in Italian cuisine.
The fine cheese pizza is easy to make and tastes delicious!
Find out here all my collected chef tips for pizza with lots of cheese from your own oven.
Enjoy reading and good luck!
Table of Contents
1. Recipe Cheese Pizza
Please take a look at my pizza dough recipe.
You need 24 hours in advance for a perfect pizza experience.
If you are in a hurry today, the quick pizza dough will help.
Note the cheese pizza information and ideas after the recipe.
I am happy to answer your cooking questions, write me via the comment function at the end of this page.
Cheese Pizza
Baked, photographed and written down by chef Thomas Sixt
Simple instructions for preparing pizza Quattro Formaggi.
Ingredients
| 500 | g | yeast dough (Pizza dough) |
| 150 | g | ricotta (Alternatively buffalo camembert) |
| 150 | g | gorgonzola |
| 100 | g | parmesan (Or Pecorino) |
| 100 | g | smoked provola (or unsmoked) |
| Pepper black, ground | ||
| 1 | tsp. | Olive oil |
| etwas | basil (or other herbs for decoration) |
Equipment
Instruction
Pizza dough
Prepare the pizza dough according to the instructions.
For the finest result, prepare a long-term pizza dough with a 12-24 or 36 hour rising time in the refrigerator.
You can find all the information and the exact instructions in the pizza dough recipe
Take the prepared dough out of the fridge a good 30 minutes before preparing the pizza and have it ready at room temperature.
Prepare cheese
Drain the ricotta cream cheese on a fine sieve with a bowl underneath.
Prepare the other four cheeses. I only got Scamorza Bianco, I combined Camembert di Bufala, Gorgonzola and Parmesan.
In the article I have listed the Original Vier Käse Pizza types of cheese for you.
Preheat oven
Preheat the oven to 280°C, lower and upper heat.
Remove the baking sheets, spread some olive oil on them and use the time to shape the pizza dough.
Prepare pizza
Place the cheeses on the pizza dough:
I always start with the cream cheese, then add the stronger cheeses like Gorgonzola and Parmesan at the end.
Bake pizza
Depending on the oven temperature, bake the topped cheese pizza for 8 to 18 minutes under observation.
Serve
Arrange the baked and nicely browned cheese pizza on a large plate.
Serve the pizza decorated with or without basil.
Bon appetit!
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Keyword
2. Calories And Nutritional Values
The Pizza Quattro Formaggi calories are listed in the table below.
Depending on the amount of cheese and dough you prepare, the nutritional values will vary.
A pizza with a diameter of 30 cm has an average of 1400 calories.
This pizza is vegetarian with dairy products and not vegan.
3. Pizza Dough For Cheese Pizza
The four-cheese pizza needs a stable dough as a base.
Otherwise the baking tray will become a cheese fondue and we really want to avoid that.
I’ve experimented with different dough variations in the past and share some helpful thoughts here:
German pizza dough:
In Germany, we mostly use the commercially available wheat flour type 405 or 550 for yeast dough.
Many pizza dough instructions state wheat flour tipo 00 (W 260) as the ingredient, which is the Italian name.
If you only use wheat flour then wheat flour type 550 or pizza flour is the best choice.
I always bake pizzas made from this dough at 220°C top and bottom heat in the middle of the oven so that the dough can rise better.
By the way, this is the typical German – mom, grandma, pizza dough, which many of us know from the baking sheet.
The dough is ready in just over two hours and is a good idea for family sheet pizzas.
The dough, “only” prepared with wheat flour, is not my first recommendation, let’s think outside the box, or rather 🙂 Pizza crust:
Italian pizza dough:
I learned from my Italian friends in the kitchen and at the pizza oven:
A good pizza dough consists of wheat flour and then ground durum wheat semolina.
Use a mixture of 50% wheat flour (tipo 00) and 50% post-ground durum wheat semolina for this pizza dough.
For a slightly “lighter” dough variant, you can also use 75% wheat flour and 25% durum wheat semolina.
My personal preference is the 50/50 flour mix.
I have tested these for all temperature ranges (220-280°C) in the oven at home, as well as in the pizza oven up to 400°C.
Prepare this pizza dough overnight, preferably a day or two before preparing the pizza.
The dough should rise in the fridge for at least 12, 24 or even 48 hours.
The “long-term pizza dough” is particularly digestible and really tastes like Italy 🙂
Please try… the total working time for this dough is only 35 minutes.
4. Herb Cheese Pizza
In the original and from Naples in Italy, I only know the cheese pizza with almost no herbs.
Basil is sometimes placed in the middle.
Of course there are regional differences, and herbs go well with pizza.
Therefore, here are some recommendations for your bakery:
Oregano or Marjoram:
You can use fresh oregano or dried oregano.
Use little oregano or the cheese on the pizza will be spooked!
Marjoram is not typical for pizza, but you can still use it if you can’t find oregano in your spice cabinet.
Rosemary:
I only like rosemary on the cheese pizza when it’s fried crispy:
Pick off the rosemary needles and fry briefly in sunflower oil until crispy.
Then drain on kitchen paper and season with a little salt.
Sprinkle the crispy rosemary needles on the finished four-cheese pizza.
That tastes delicious.
Thyme:
I like to sprinkle fresh thyme leaves sparingly on the cheese pizza just before serving.
I sometimes bake dried thyme with the pizza or sprinkle it on before serving.
Basil:
Place some fresh leaves on the finished pizza.
Less is more! In Italy I usually got this pizza on the table decorated without herbs.
Basil chips would be another idea:
To do this, fry the basil leaves in hot oil.
Then drain, season gently with a little salt and decorate the cheese pizza.
Cheese and herb pizza tip from chef Thomas Sixt
5. Cheese For Cheese Pizza
The idea of the four-cheese pizza is to place different cheese protagonists with different tastes and characteristics in a balanced manner on the pizza.
This paragraph answers the question: Pizza four cheeses which varieties?
The four cheeses, sometimes five, are:
➽ ricotta
➽ gorgonzola
➽ parmigiano reggiano, pecorino, grana padano
➽ smoked provola
Surely you used to put leftover cheese on the pizza to use it up.
In Germany, we know this “use of leftovers” from Käsespätzle and Obazda .
I used different types of cheese for the cheese pizza and will give you an overview below:
6. Cheese Pizza Without Tomato Sauce
To be honest, I first ate the cheese pizza with a tomato topping.
I didn’t like it, the dough was too soft, the pizza was watery and greasy.
That’s why I only make the pizza with four, five or even six different types of cheese.
If you still want to add tomatoes to the cheese, I have a few ideas for you:
Please put the tomatoes on a sieve and let the juice drain.
Optionally, you can prepare a creamy tomato paste from tomato paste, olive oil and a little water.
Spread or cover the pizza dough with the tomatoes.
Pre-bake the tomato pizza for 6-8 minutes.
Then put the cheese on top and finally bake to the end.
7. Baking Tray Or Pizza Stone For Cheese Pizza
The pizza stone for the cheese pizza is only a good idea if you are already practiced.
The pizza really needs to get onto the stone intact so the cheese doesn’t run off.
Therefore I recommend the baking sheet method.
You can shape the pizza dough a little, then shape it out on the oiled tray.
You top with cheese and don’t overdo it.
Too much cheese spills over and you can host a cheese fondue.
Bake the pizza in a controlled manner and brown as desired, then serve.
If you do want to use the pizza stone, preheat it for at least an hour.
My experience is: Preheating the oven with a stone for 60 to 90 minutes is just right.
The power consumption is of course higher with this method.
Use durum wheat semolina as a slip aid, this does not burn as badly as flour.
I made the wrong choice with the short pizza peel.
You can see that with the anchovy pizza.
The pizza was a little out of shape, but it still tasted very good.
A long pizza peel is better, the momentum when pulling back the pizza peel is higher and the pizza slides better on the stone.
8. FAQ Cheese Pizza
You can find a summary of my collected pizza questions below:
What does Pizza Quattro formaggi mean in German?
Literally translated, pizza means Quattro formaggi – pizza four cheese.
Can I also use German cheeses for the cheese pizza.
You can try Emmental, smoked Gouda, Philadelphia and Bavaria Blue for German cheese pizza.
Which pizza dough is right for Original Pizza Quattro formaggi and what other types of dough are suitable?
For the original pizza Quattro formaggi you use my pizza dough.
Shortcrust pastry and puff pastry can also be used, but the taste is different.
If you want to experiment, lay 30 sheets of strudel dough on top of each other, each coated with melted butter or nut butter.
Use a baking tray with baking paper and place the strudel sheets on the baking paper.
Underlay the sides with wooden chopsticks (China chopsticks) so that the dough folds up (sideways).
Cover the strudel sheets with cheese and bake them in the oven.
Should I add garlic to the Quattro formaggi pizza?
Garlic is not a traditional ingredient in the Original Four Cheese Pizza.
Drizzle the pizza with a little garlic oil after baking, or fry young green garlic and sprinkle it on the pizza after baking.
Should I put a lot of oregano on the cheese pizza?
Oregano is not an original ingredient of the pizza Quattro formaggi. You can sprinkle little oregano after baking and try the taste. Too much oregano will mask the cheese flavor of the pizza.
How much oregano do I put on the Pizza Marinara?
Use oregano sparingly for pizza marinara, the dried spice is very strong in flavor.
What decoration is right for original pizza marinara?
Decorate the finished cheese pizza in the center with a little basil and drizzle cold olive oil on the pizza.
I have done without olive oil so far, because the pizza already contains a lot of fat.
Is Balsamic Vinegar a good match with Pizza Four Cheeses
The real balsamic is not an original ingredient to the pizza Quattro formaggi. Try adding a few drops of Aceto Balsamico tradizionale and supplement with red berries (misnomer red pepper). This combination is excellent with crispy fried rosemary.
9. More Pizza Recipes
Comments, Cooking Questions and Answers
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