National Pizza Month is finally here! If you’re anything like us, you definitely don’t need an excuse to
indulge in a warm and cheesy pizza, and what better way to celebrate the arrival of fall than by cozying up to slice of pizza pie topped with Wisconsin Cheese? So, grab a seat and
learn how you can commemorate this delicious month Wisconsin-style.
What’s the best cheese for pizza?
While we love pretty much
every Wisconsin Cheese, a few varieties are particularly great for pizza. When
picking your cheeses, we recommend choosing ultra-meltable cheeses that will
give you a drool-worthy cheese pull at the table. Below are some of our top picks for your
next pizza night.
Mozzarella:
Whether your mozzarella
is the star of the show in a margherita pizza or laying a cheesy foundation for
other toppings, it’s the perfect cheese for pizza. When you use a high-quality
Wisconsin mozzarella, expect melty puddles of cheese and a fresh, creamy taste.
We love using BelGioioso’s
fresh mozzarella for homemade pizza that tastes just like you’re in Naples.
Provolone:
Provolone, a semi-hard cheese with a
slightly smoky taste, melts beautifully on pizza. Select a young provolone for
a mild flavor or choose an aged provolone for a sharper taste and slightly
drier texture. BelGioioso’s provolone
cheeses have been winning international cheese awards for decades, making them
a surefire selection for any pizza.
Cheddar: Cheddar adds
great flavor to pizza. Surprisingly, though, it really shines when paired with another mild, melty cheese like
mozzarella or provolone. Making a cheese blend with cheddar not only adds
limitless possibilities to your pizzas, but also avoids any issue of the
cheddar getting overcooked and hardened.
You know what they say: cheddar safe
than sorry. (Look, we're from Wisconsin. We can't help but say these things sometimes.) Try Carr Valley’s
3-year Aged Cheddar mixed with mozzarella for a blend of flavors that will
impress any pizza enthusiast.
Parmesan: Have you ever had a server grate parmesan on
your dish and tell you to say when,
and then you just...don’t? And they keep grating the whole block until you
can’t see your entree at all, and it’s just a pile of fluffy cheese shavings?
(We’re totally not speaking from experience or anything.) Well, if that’s you,
we’ve got good news: parmesan totally works on pizza, too.
Just wait until the
pizza is done cooking, then grate your parmesan while the pizza cools. The
residual warmth of the pie will melt the parmesan without burning it, giving
you a nutty flavor and even more cheese on your pizza. Pick out a parmesan like
BelGioioso’s, which is aged for 10 months, so that you get even more rich flavor with every
bite.
What kind of mozzarella is best for pizza?
When it comes to using
mozzarella on pizza, there are two types of mozzarella that cheese lovers need
to know about: fresh mozzarella and low-moisture mozzarella.
Fresh mozzarella traditionally comes as a ball of cheese in a tub full of brine. Why
the brine? Like the name suggests, fresh mozzarella is a fresh cheese that is
best enjoyed the moment you pick it up, and the brine is a key way of
maintaining the freshness. Because of the high-moisture content, fresh
mozzarella requires a few extra steps to help ensure you don’t end up with
a soggy pizza crust.
If you’re planning on using fresh mozzarella on your
pizza, we recommend removing it from its tub and letting it dry on a paper
towel for 20-25 minutes. From here, you can tear your fresh mozzarella ball
into small pieces and place it on your pizza.
In contrast to fresh
mozzarella, low-moisture or “regular” mozzarella
is briefly aged before it arrives at your cheese counter. This aging process
removes some moisture and concentrates the flavor and saltiness in mozzarella.
Less moisture also means that this kind of mozzarella will brown more easily on
your pizza without needing to be dried ahead of time. If you’re looking for a
no-fuss cheese topping for your pizza, you can’t go wrong with low-moisture
mozzarella. To maximize the yum factor, we recommend buying a block of mozzarella
and shredding it yourself at home.
How to create your own cheese blend
Pick your
base cheese: Select a super melty,
mild cheese like mozzarella or provolone. Mozzarella was pretty much made for
pizza, so we highly recommend using that as your base.
Find your
additions: This is where you can
make it your own. Add in cheeses like cheddar, fontina, monterey jack,
muenster, or
even gorgonzola.
Younger cheeses tend to melt better, but you can even sneak in some aged
cheeses for additional flavor. In general, stick to a ratio of ⅔ base cheese
(like mozzarella) and ⅓ additional cheeses.
Finish
with any topping: After all, there’s no such thing as too much cheese.
Things like grated parmesan, crumbled feta, crumbled
blue, or really
anything that strikes your fancy all make
delicious toppings on pizza. Plan for these cheeses, but don’t add them until
the pizza is cooked.
Adding your toppings is basically like Michaelangelo
putting the finishing touches on the Sistine Chapel. It’s a lifestyle. An art
form. Live it.
In the mood for a great cheese blend but running short on time? Skip the hassle and pick out a pre-made
blend from BelGioioso. You get all of the flavor of fresh Wisconsin Cheese and
even more convenience. Try their Specialty Blends like the Secret Pizza Blend for an Italian-inspired flavor or their
Zesty Blend full of spicy, flavorful heat.
3 pizza recipes for cheese lovers to try
Zucchini and
Potato Rosemary Pizza: Let your
zucchini shine with this flavorful spring-inspired dish. Big, bold blue cheese
from Carr Valley is the center of attention in this fresh vegetable-rosemary
pizza recipe, while freshly-shredded fontina cheese adds extra creaminess. If
you’re skeptical about blue cheese on pizza, this one will turn you into a
blue-iever.
Get the recipe for this Zucchini and Potato Rosemary Pizza here.
Chicken and
Sun-dried Tomato Grilled Pizza:
Topped with three kinds of ooey-gooey cheese, your guests will love this
flavorful grilled pizza. Mozzarella, ricotta, and
parmesan are an iconic trio that combine to create a cheesy ménage à trois. It’s topped with broccoli florets, chicken, and sun-dried tomatoes
before being cooked on the grill.
Get the recipe for this Chicken and Sun-dried Tomato Grilled
Pizza here.
Hot Sausage
Deep-Dish Pizza: This pie mixes the best of
Chicago with the best of Wisconsin. This deep-dish pizza is cooked in a deep
skillet or Dutch oven to create a high crust wall and the perfect vessel to fill
with Wisconsin Cheese. We filled this one with hot Italian sausage, roasted red
peppers, and three types of cheese: fontina, mozzarella, and parmesan. It’s a
cheesy trifecta that’s sure to please.
Get the recipe for this Hot Sausage Deep-Dish Pizza here.
Go forth and celebrate!
Ready to celebrate National
Pizza Month with a homemade pizza of your own? Find some cheesy inspiration from a variety of other pizza recipes featuring Wisconsin Cheese or pick another meal that suits your style from
our selection of over 400 handcrafted recipes
featuring Wisconsin Cheese. Share your creation with us on Instagram or Facebook and become part of the
largest cheese community in the world. We’d love see you there!
Searching high and low for that one Wisconsin Cheese with no luck?
You can get all your favorite Wisconsin Cheeses delivered right to your door
with our continuously updated list of cheesemakers and retailers that allow you
to order cheese online.
Award-winning Wisconsin Cheese is just a click away.
