Introduction
Pizza quattro formaggi, four-cheese pizza, is a white pizza covered with mozzarella, gorgonzola, fontina and Parmesan, with no tomato. It is rich, so one pizza goes a long way: cut it into slices for a party or serve it with a sharp green salad.
It is an Italian pizzeria classic, but unlike the margherita or the marinara its origin is not documented. The four cheeses vary from one place to another; mozzarella melts, gorgonzola brings the bite, fontina the creaminess and Parmesan the salt. Parmesan and many gorgonzolas are made with animal rennet, so strict vegetarians should choose cheeses made with vegetable rennet.
Ingredients
For the dough (4 pizzas, about 28 cm):
- 500 g flour (Italian “00” or strong white bread flour)
- 325 ml lukewarm water
- 5 g dried yeast (or 15 g fresh yeast)
- 10 g salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
For the topping:
- 2 balls of mozzarella (2 × 125 g), torn and drained
- 120 g gorgonzola, in small pieces
- 120 g fontina (or another mild melting cheese, such as young Gouda), diced
- 40 g Parmesan, grated
- olive oil
- black pepper
Tools
- A large mixing bowl
- A baking tray (or a pizza stone), heated in the oven
- Baking paper
- An oven that reaches at least 250 °C
Preparation
- Mix the flour, yeast and water, add the salt and oil and knead for about 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic.
- Cover and let it rise for about 2 hours, until doubled. Shape 4 balls and rest them for 15 minutes.
- Heat the oven with the tray inside to its highest setting, 250 to 275 °C, for at least 30 minutes.
- Stretch one ball on floured baking paper into a thin round and brush it with a little olive oil.
- Spread a quarter of each cheese evenly, Parmesan last. Keep the layer thin: too much cheese leaves pools of fat and a soggy middle.
- Bake on the hot tray for 7 to 9 minutes, until the rim is browned and the cheese bubbles with golden spots.
- Grind black pepper over it and serve at once.