Pizza Cheese

Pizza cheese is more than just a mixture of water, protein and fat used as glue to hold the ingredients together on baked dough. It will make or break a pizza. A great pizza can be as simple as crust, sauce and cheese. Other than the base ingredients, it is the only required topping. It is also the topping that people want more of time and time again. You certainly will hear “extra cheese, please” far more often than you will hear an order for “pizza without cheese” because without the cheese there is no pizza.

What is the best kind of cheese on pizza?

There is no single correct answer to this question. In fact, the correct question would be “what is the best kind of cheese blend on pizza?” Personal choice will play a big role in making the correct choice but just as important is the type of pizza you are creating. The cheese or blend of cheeses you use to infuse flavor into your pizza will vary based upon the other toppings on your pie. In a traditional pepperoni pizza recipe some amount of mozzarella is almost certain to be at the top of the list. This is because it has a perfect melting point and provides that gooey consistency everyone seems to love. However, for a fruit dessert pizza, cream cheese is usually the first choice of most chefs. Blending cheeses can provide for unique, exciting tastes and textures that will keep your family or customers coming back for more.

• Soft cheeses melt quicker and provide better coverage for a pizza.
• Hard, firm cheese are full of flavors but do not melt as quickly or flow as easily as their softer counter parts providing less coverage.
• Oil separation (oiling off) can be a good thing for your creation however excessive separation can leave pockets of oil and are viewed by many as a sign of poor quality although many native New Yorkers will disagree with that conclusion.

A popular pizza cheese blend is 60% whole milk Mozzarella with the other 40% made up of equal parts Romano, Provolone, Asiago and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Whole milk Mozzarella provides a wonderful creamy base and a stringy texture while the other cheeses bring together a symphony of flavors any pizza lover will be sure to appreciate.

I suggest you start with the above blend and adjust to suite your tastes. For example, add a bit more Provolone if you enjoy a smoky flavor, or increase the amount of Asiago if you prefer a nutty taste. What I don’t recommend is the prepackaged pizza cheese found in your local supermarket’s refrigerator section. With a little experimentation you will find the right cheeses to make a perfect pizza.