Traditional Checkered Pizza Half Page Menu Recipe

Bloom yeast

In a small bowl combine warm water (1 cup) and sugar (1 tsp). Sprinkle the active dry yeast (2 tsp) over the water and let sit 5–10 minutes until foamy.

In a large mixing bowl combine the all-purpose flour (3 cups) and salt (1 tsp). Make a well in the center and add the yeast mixture and olive oil (2 tbs). Stir with a wooden spoon or use a dough hook on low speed until a shaggy dough forms.

Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic (or knead 5–7 minutes in a stand mixer on medium speed). If dough is sticky, add flour 1 tablespoon at a time.

Shape dough into a ball, lightly oil a bowl, place dough inside, cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let rise in a warm spot for 1–1.5 hours or until doubled in size.

After the rise, punch the dough down gently and transfer to a lightly floured surface. Divide if making two smaller pizzas; for a single half-page checkered pizza shape into an oblong or rectangle to fit a half-sheet pan. Let rest 10 minutes before shaping.

Preheat oven to 500°F (260°C). If using a pizza stone, place it in the oven to preheat. Otherwise, prepare a half-sheet pan or pizza pan by lightly oiling or dusting with semolina.

Mix the garlic butter: combine softened butter with 1–2 minced garlic cloves (or pre-made garlic butter) and have ready to brush on crust after parbaking.

Have tomato pizza sauce (1 cup) at room temperature for easy spreading.

Shape and parbake crust: On a floured surface stretch or roll the rested dough into a rectangle roughly the size of a half-sheet pan (about 13 x 9 inches). Transfer to the prepared pan. Dock the dough lightly with a fork to prevent large bubbles. Brush a thin layer of olive oil (1 tbs) around the exposed rim.

Parbake crust 6–8 minutes in the preheated oven until it just begins to set but not brown. Remove from oven.

Create the checkered layout: visualize a checkerboard of 8 columns by 4 rows (adjust to fit pan). Using a spoon spread tomato sauce in alternating squares: place small dollops of sauce to fill every other square in a checker pattern across the dough, leaving intervening squares for garlic butter. Keep the pattern consistent across the pizza so sauce and garlic butter alternate.

On the squares left for garlic butter, brush a thin layer of the prepared garlic butter so those squares will be white (but buttery) after baking.

Cheese layering: evenly sprinkle shredded mozzarella across the entire pizza to create a continuous cheese bed; then place provolone slices selectively on the sauce squares to emphasize contrast. Lightly sprinkle grated parmesan evenly over everything.

Topping placement for the checkered effect: on the tomato-sauce squares place pepperoni slices so they remain visibly red; on the garlic-butter squares scatter crumbled cooked sausage and a few thin green pepper strips. Alternate so each sauce square has distinct toppings that contrast with adjacent squares. Add thin red onion slices sparingly across the pizza for balance.

Bake the assembled pizza in the 500°F oven for 8–12 minutes until cheese is melted, edges are golden, and pepperoni edges curl slightly. Rotate the pan halfway through for even baking.

If desired, in the last minute switch to broil briefly to get slight browning — watch carefully to avoid burning.

Remove pizza from oven. Brush the crust edges with a little additional olive oil (if desired) and sprinkle dried oregano (1/2 tsp) and red pepper flakes (1/4 tsp) evenly over the pizza. Top with fresh basil leaves (8) if using.

Let rest 3–5 minutes, then slice into squares to emphasize the checkered design and serve hot.