While I do enjoy a good pepperoni or meatlovers every now and again, there's just something special about loading up my homemade artisan pizza dough with a mix of savory cheeses and allowing fresh veggies to be the star, especially when paired with my homemade marinara.
If you plan to make homemade pizza from scratch, you'll need to plan ahead, as the key to making amazing pizza is time. With minimal hands-on work, you'll need to allow your dough plenty of time to rest in the refrigerator under a process called cold fermentation (and trust me, the quality and the flavor of your dough will be worth it).
In addition to having dough on hand so you're always ready for pizza night, a few basic kitchen tools will make a really big difference- you can learn more about my favorite baking steels and pizza peels here in my Artisan Pepperoni Pizza post.
INGREDIENTS
This recipe yields 1-12" pizza
- ¼ Recipe Artisan Pizza Dough or your favorite pizza dough
- ½ C. Marinara Sauce Recipe or your favorite jarred pizza sauce
- 1 C. Fresh Mozzarella Cheese, Low Moisture, Freshly Grated
- ⅓ C. Whole Milk Ricotta
- ¼ C. Freshly Grated Parmesan
- Red and Green Bell Peppers Sliced into strips or diced
- Asparagus Tips
- Cherry or Grape Tomatoes, Halved
- Kalamata Olives, Halved
- 1 tsp. Pizza Seasoning or Italian Seasoning
- Miscellaneous Ingredients
- All Purpose Flour for dusting (not included in the recipe)
- Cornmeal for dusting the pizza peel before baking
INSTRUCTIONS
Step 1: About an hour or so before you plan to bake your pizza, preheat your oven as high as it will go, 500-550℉. Place a baking steel (or high temperature baking stone, such as this one) onto a rack in the middle of the oven. This process will ensure that your baking surface will (as closely as it can) replicate a brick-oven.
Step 2: Generously sprinkle your pizza peel with cornmeal. The cornmeal will keep the dough from sticking to the board and make it easier to slide the pizza directly into your oven.
Step 3: Gather all of your ingredients, including one prepared round of dough from my cold-fermented artisan pizza dough recipe and marinara sauce, along with your trio of cheeses and fresh vegetables.
Low moisture mozzarella works best for pizza. Fresh mozzarella balls will certainly work but are generally stored in a brine solution (either water or whey), making them harder to shred using a box or handheld grater, and can also lead to a soggy crust. Pre-shredded mozzarella in a bag, while convenient, often contain shelf-stabilizing ingredients like powdered cellulose and natamycin to prevent the shreds from sticking to one another, and growing mold. If possible, don't use it unless you can't find fresh!
Note: The recipe and amounts as provided will make 1-12" pizza. The pizza dough recipe itself yields 4 rounds of dough, so double the ingredients if making 2 pizzas.
Step 4: Lightly dust a clean work surface with flour. Work the pizza dough into a circle, pressing out from the center. Press out any large air bubbles.
Step 5: Next, place the dough beneath your knuckles, covering your hands, and pull out from the center, rotating around the full circumference, elongating and stretching the dough.
Step 6: Once your dough has stretched some, place it back down onto your work surface and use a wooden rolling pin to roll the dough in one direction, creating a rounded rectangular shape, then rotate, lightly sprinkle the surface of the dough with flour, and roll to an approximately 12" circumference (the length of a standard ruler). The dough should be thin, but not transparent.
Step 7: Place your dough onto the prepared pizza peel, making it easier to transfer to your oven for baking.
Step 8: Swirl a thin layer of marinara sauce onto the dough, starting at the center, and work your way towards the outer rim, leaving a 1" border so you have a proper crust.
Step 9: Add a layer of shredded mozzarella, then add dollops of ricotta.
Step 10: Evenly distribute your veggies across the top of the pizza, then sprinkle with parmesan and your pizza seasoning blend.
Step 11: Slide your prepared pizza directly onto your baking steel (or stone) in the preheated oven. The pizza should cook quickly, typically not longer than 10 minutes.
Step 12: The cheese should be fully melted and bubbly, the toppings lightly charred and the crust a golden brown. Even if your pizza looks done on top after 10 minutes, take the extra step to CAREFULLY lift a corner of the crust to check the bottom. You don't want a soggy, blond crust! Feel free to turn off the oven and crack the door- the residual heat will continue to brown the bottom crust until it's the desired color and texture without further cooking the toppings.
Step 13: Use your pizza peel to carefully remove the pizza from the oven, allow to cool before slicing.
Cleaning and Seasoning Your Baking Steel: While your baking steel is still fairly hot, grab a pair of oven mitts and remove the steel from the oven, moving it to the sink. Gently (and carefully) brush off any excess cornmeal and scrape off any melted toppings that may have fallen or leaked onto the hot surface using a rubber spatula (metal may damage the finish). It'll be a lot easier to work with while still hot. Rinse with water but try to avoid using soap (a little bit is okay, though, if needed.) For any stubborn bits, make a light paste of baking soda and water, rub into the spot, and allow to cool. Rinse off later, after the paste has had a chance to sit and work its magic. Wipe the entire surface of the steel with olive oil, and place back into a warm oven for about an hour, or at least while the oven cools down. Store until ready for next use.
Three Cheese & Vegetable Pizza
Equipment
- Home Oven set between 500-550℉
- Baking Steel or Baking Stone or round, metal pizza pans; see notes in recipe below
- Wooden Rolling Pin
- Spoon
- Pizza Peel see notes in recipe below
- Pizza Wheel
- Box Grater or Handheld Grater for preparing cheeses
Ingredients
- ¼ Recipe Artisan Pizza Dough Recipe see notes, or your favorite pizza dough
- ½ C. Marinara Sauce Recipe see notes (or your favorite jarred pizza sauce)
- 1 C. Fresh Mozzarella Cheese, Low Moisture, Grated
- ⅓ C. Whole Milk Ricotta
- ¼ C, Freshly Grated Parmesan
- Red and Green Bell Peppers Sliced into strips or diced
- Asparagus Tips
- Cherry or Grape Tomatoes, Halved
- Kalamata Olives, Halved
- 1 tsp. Pizza or Italian Seasoning
Miscellaneous Ingredients
- All Purpose Flour for dusting (not included in the recipe)
- Cornmeal for dusting the pizza peel before baking
Instructions
- About an hour or so before you plan to bake your pizza, preheat your oven as high as it will go, 500-550℉. Place a baking steel (or high temperature baking stone, such as this one) onto a rack in the middle of the oven. This process will ensure that your baking surface will (as closely as it can) replicate a brick-oven.A baking steel is a must have kitchen tool for pizza makers and bread bakers alike. We love this one by Brod & Taylor! Like a good cast iron pan, the more you use this steel and keep it seasoned, the better it'll be.
- Generously sprinkle your pizza peel with cornmeal. The cornmeal will keep the dough from sticking to the board and make it easier to slide the pizza directly into your oven.There are multiple types of pizza peels available, but here are a few of our favorites and why we love them!Wooden Bamboo Pizza Peel: This one is pretty enough you could hang it on the wall as kitchen decor! It's one solid piece, easy to hold, and the angled base makes it easier to both slide the uncooked pizza into the oven as well as being able to slide under the pizza to rotate it while baking or remove it after it's fully cooked.Stainless Steel Pizza Paddle: During the warmer months, we love baking pizza in the Big Green Egg in our outdoor kitchen. The long handle is a great safety feature as you are working with extremely hot temperatures, being able to distance yourself a little more from the source. The stainless-steel surface works really well transferring the uncooked pizza into the oven or onto the grill, so long as you use cornmeal or high-temperature parchment underneath the dough. It's also super easy to clean.Sliding Pizza Peel: This kitchen tool is super cool! You can literally glide the uncooked pizza directly onto the hot pizza steel or stone by sliding the built-in handle, like a mini conveyer belt. The unique material is non-stick, so not only does it make getting the pizza into the oven easier, it's also a breeze to clean.
- Gather all of your ingredients, including one prepared round of dough from my cold-fermented artisan pizza dough recipe and marinara sauce, along with your trio of cheeses and fresh vegetables.Low moisture mozzarella works best for pizza toppings. Fresh mozzarella balls will certainly work but are generally stored in a brine solution (either water or whey) and are much harder to shred using a box or handheld grater. Pre-shredded mozzarella in a bag, while convenient, often contain shelf-stabilizing ingredients like powdered cellulose and natamycin to prevent caking and mold. If possible, don't use it for making pizza! Note: The recipe and amounts as provided will make 1-12" pizza. The pizza dough recipe itself yields 4 rounds of dough, so double the ingredients if making 2 pizzas.
- Lightly dust a clean work surface with flour. Work the pizza dough into a circle, pressing out from the center. Press out any large air bubbles.
- Next, place the dough beneath your knuckles, covering your hands, and pull out from the center, rotating around the full circumference, elongating and stretching the dough.
- Once your dough has stretched some, place it back down onto your work surface and use a wooden rolling pin to roll out the dough to approximately 12" (the length of a standard ruler). The dough should be thin, but not transparent.
- Place your dough onto the prepared pizza peel, making it easier to transfer to your oven for baking. Swirl a thin layer of marinara sauce onto the dough, starting at the center, and work your way towards the outer rim, but be sure to leave a 1" border so you have a proper crust.
- Add a layer of shredded mozzarella, then add dollops of ricotta.
- Evenly distribute your veggies across the top of the pizza, then sprinkle with parmesan and your pizza seasoning blend.
- Slide your prepared pizza directly onto your baking steel (or stone) in the preheated oven. The pizza should cook quickly, typically not longer than 10 minutes. The cheese should be fully melted and bubbly, the toppings lightly charred and the crust a golden brown.Even if your pizza looks done on top after 10 minutes, take the extra step to CAREFULLY lift a corner of the crust to check the bottom. You don't want a soggy, blond crust! Feel free to turn off the oven and crack the door- the residual heat will continue to brown the bottom crust until it's the desired color and texture without further cooking the toppings.
- Use your pizza peel to carefully remove the pizza from the oven, allow to cool before slicing.
