Margherita Style Recipe

Preheat the oven to 500°F (260°C). If using a pizza stone, place it in the oven on the middle rack for at least 30 minutes to heat. If using a baking sheet, invert it and place it in the oven to preheat.

Lightly flour your work surface with the dusting flour. Gently stretch or roll the 1 lb dough into a 12–14 inch round, leaving a slightly thicker edge for the crust. Do not overwork the dough—keep some bubbles for a good crust texture.

Transfer stretched dough to a piece of parchment paper or a lightly floured pizza peel. Brush the center lightly with 1 tbs olive oil, leaving the crust edge mostly uncoated.

Assemble cheese base

Combine shredded mozzarella (1 cup), fontina/provolone (1/2 cup), cheddar (1/4 cup) and ricotta (1/4 cup) in a bowl and mix gently so the cheeses are evenly distributed. Scatter the shredded blend evenly across the oiled center of the dough, leaving the crust edge exposed. Distribute torn or sliced fresh mozzarella (8 oz) across the pie in larger pieces to provide pockets of melting fresh cheese.

Add tomatoes and season

Arrange thin tomato slices (1 cup) on top of and slightly between the cheese pieces so the cheeses still melt around them. Sprinkle 1/2 tsp kosher salt and 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper evenly over the tomatoes and cheese. If using, sprinkle 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper lightly for a touch of heat.

Bake

Using the parchment or peel, slide the pizza onto the preheated stone or inverted baking sheet. Bake for 8–12 minutes until the crust is golden and blistered and the cheeses are melted and bubbling. Thin ovens/stone may take 7–9 minutes; thicker dough may take up to 12 minutes. Keep an eye to avoid burning the fresh mozzarella.

Finish and serve

Remove pizza from the oven and immediately scatter fresh basil leaves (1/2 cup) across the hot pizza so they wilt slightly. Grate 2 tbs fresh Parmesan over the top. If desired, add small dollops of ricotta or a drizzle of olive oil. Let the pizza rest for 2 minutes, slice, and serve hot.

If making the vegan version, replace all dairy cheeses with their vegan counterparts: use vegan fresh mozzarella (8 oz), vegan shredded blend (1.5 cups), vegan ricotta dollops (1/4 cup) and vegan Parmesan or nutritional yeast (2 tbs) for finishing. Assemble and bake exactly as above; note that bake time may vary slightly depending on the melting characteristics of the vegan cheeses—watch for melted/bronzed edges and crust doneness.