Authentic 6-Cheese Neapolitan Pizza
Experience the authentic taste of Italy with this 6-cheese Neapolitan pizza, featuring a blistered, artisan crust and a rich, fragrant blend of melty cheeses.
Neapolitan pizza is celebrated for its simplicity and the high-quality ingredients that allow the crust to take center stage. By combining three soft, melting cheeses like mozzarella, fontina, and provolone with a sharp, aromatic blend of parmigiano, romano, and asiago, you achieve a complex flavor profile that elevates the classic pie. The high-heat baking process is essential for creating the signature leopard-spotted char that provides that unmistakable smoky, artisanal touch.
Ingredients
- 1 ball pizza dough
- 100 ml tomato sauce
- 50 g mozzarella cheese
- 50 g fontina cheese
- 50 g provolone cheese
- 30 g parmigiano, romano, and asiago blend
- 1 tsp dried pizza herbs
- to taste flour for dusting
Instructions
- 1Prepare the cheese selection
Prepare six varieties of cheese to create a rich, flavorful pizza topping. In four separate small metal bowls, arrange your mozzarella, fontina, and provolone, along with a prepared blend of parmigiano, romano, and asiago cheeses. Keep these ready on your workstation for easy assembly.
Tip: Using a combination of hard and soft cheeses provides both a great melt and a complex, fragrant flavor profile. - 2Press the dough
Place the rested dough ball onto a lightly floured surface. Carefully press down on the center of the dough with your fingers and palms, taking care not to affect its natural round shape.
Tip: Avoid flattening the very outer edges of the dough to ensure a nice, airy crust after baking. - 3Stretch the pizza dough
Lift the dough and use your fists and knuckles to gently stretch it from the center outwards. Rotate the dough continuously as you stretch it to maintain an even thickness and a perfectly round shape.
Tip: Let gravity help gently stretch the dough as it rests over your knuckles to prevent tearing. - 4Add the tomato base
Lay the stretched pizza dough flat on the countertop. Ladle your prepared tomato sauce directly into the center of the dough and spread it evenly outward in a smooth, circular motion.
Tip: Leave a small border around the edge of the dough untouched by sauce for the crust to form properly. - 5Add the soft cheeses
Take the diced natural mozzarella, fontina, and provolone and sprinkle them evenly over the tomato sauce base. Make sure the cheeses are distributed well so every slice has a perfect blend.
Tip: Using diced cheese instead of shredded helps prevent the cheese from burning quickly in a high-temperature oven. - 6Top with hard cheese and herbs
Finish assembling the pizza by evenly distributing the grated hard cheese blend of parmigiano, romano, and asiago. Finally, sprinkle a pinch of dried pizza herbs over the top to enhance the fragrance.
Tip: The hard cheeses add a sharp, salty flavor that perfectly complements the milder soft cheeses. - 7Bake the pizza
Using a metal pizza peel, carefully slide your assembled raw pizza into a high-temperature pizza oven. For a traditional Neapolitan style, the oven should be heated to approximately 500 degrees. The intense heat is crucial for achieving the characteristic charred crust.
Tip: Keep a close eye on the pizza as it bakes in the high-heat oven, as it will cook very quickly. - 8Remove the baked pizza
Once the pizza crust is perfectly blistered and displays those characteristic black spots of a traditional Neapolitan pizza, use the metal peel to remove it from the oven. The pizza should be fragrant and ready to serve immediately.
Tip: The charred spots on the crust are a hallmark of authentic Neapolitan-style pizza and add excellent texture.
