Headnote

This is the essential cheese pizza in its purest form: a supple dough, a restrained tomato sauce, and a balanced blanket of mozzarella and parmesan. It is built for clarity, not excess, with each element present in proper proportion. The result should be supple at the center, well-defined at the edge, and clean in flavor.

Recipe essentials

Dish category: Pizza

Cuisine or origin: Italian-inspired

Course type: Main course

Yield: 1 pizza

Serving size: 1 pizza, approximately 645 g

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 12 minutes

Total time: 32 minutes

Difficulty: Moderate

Equipment

1 pizza tray or baking tray, 30 cm

1 rolling pin

1 mixing bowl

1 spoon or ladle

1 oven preheated to 250°C

Ingredients

Dough and shaping

Pizza dough, 300 g

All-purpose flour, 20 g, for dusting

Salt, 2 g

Sauce and topping

Tomato sauce, 180 g

Mozzarella cheese, 130 g, grated or torn

Parmesan cheese, 15 g, finely grated

Olive oil, 10 g

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 250°C and place a pizza tray or baking tray inside to heat for 10 minutes. The tray must be hot enough to support rapid bottom set and a crisp base.

2. Lightly dust the work surface with the all-purpose flour. Place the pizza dough on the surface, season it with the salt, and roll it evenly into a round of about 30 cm, keeping the center slightly thinner than the rim.

3. Transfer the dough to the hot tray. Work quickly so the dough remains relaxed and easy to shape.

4. Spread the tomato sauce over the dough in a thin, even layer, leaving a 1 cm border clear at the edge. The surface should be coated, not flooded.

5. Distribute the mozzarella evenly over the sauce, then finish with the parmesan. Drizzle the olive oil over the top in a fine, even thread.

6. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the crust is golden at the rim, the base is set, and the cheese is fully melted with light browning in spots. The center should remain tender but no longer raw.

7. Remove the pizza from the oven and rest it on the tray for 2 minutes before cutting. This allows the cheese to settle and the slice to hold cleanly.

Plating and serving

Serve the pizza whole or cut into 6 even slices. Present it on a warmed board or platter, with the crust intact and the cheese evenly distributed to the edge of the sauce. The final pizza should be balanced: crisp at the perimeter, supple at the center, and cleanly savory throughout.

Professional notes

Keep the sauce layer thin; excess moisture weakens the base.

Use the hot tray to encourage immediate lift and proper bottom color.

The cheese should melt into a unified layer, not form a thick cap that obscures the dough.