Pizza quattro formaggi, also known as four-cheese pizza, is an Italian variety of pizza that is typically topped with a mix of four different types of cheeses: mozzarella, gorgonzola, parmigiano reggiano and goat cheese.
All four cheeses are generally melted together along with tomato sauce. However, one can also find it served as a white pizza, which doesn’t include the tomato sauce.
Origin & Cultural Significance
This rich, ultra-cheesy pizza is believed to date back to the beginning of the 18th century and it is known to have originated in the Lazio region.
Quattro formaggi is considered to be different than other pizzas out there (such as the Napolitan or the Margherita), which have a rich, established history. Quattro formaggi has very little information about its origin other than the region and century.
Italian Quattro Formaggi Pizza Recipe
Ingredients
Pizza Dough
- Italian 00 flour - 4 cups
- Fast action dried yeast (7g) - 2 tsp
- Lukewarm water (320ml) - 1 ⅓ cups
- Olive oil - 1 tbsp
- Salt - 1 pinch
- Sugar - 0.5 tsp
- Semolina or regular flour (for dusting)
Toppings
- Mozzarella (250g) - 2 balls
- Gorgonzola (100g) - ½ cup
- Goat cheese (120g) - ½ cup
- Parmesan freshly grated (40g) - ½ cup
- Crushed strained tomatoes passata (200g) - ½ cup
- Black pepper (optional)
Instructions
To make the pizza dough:
- Begin by taking a medium-sized bowl and adding the flour, salt and yeast. Remember to place the salt and yeast on opposite sides.
- Create a well in the middle and pour in the water and olive oil. Combine it together until you attain a rough dough. In case it's too sticky, you can slowly add a little more flour.
- Now, dust a clean surface with some flour and start kneading the dough. It will take you about 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. If you gently press your finger on the dough ball, it should bounce back up easily.
- Take a large mixing bowl and add 1/2 tablespoons olive oil to it. Make sure to brush the entire bowl until it is coated well. Form a ball of the dough and transfer it to the bowl. Brush the top surface of the dough with a little bit of olive oil.
- Using plastic wrap (cling film), cover the bowl and keep it aside in a warm place for at least 3 - 4 hours, or until the dough triples in size.
To bake the pizza:
- Begin by pre-heating your oven to its highest setting (at least 450F/230C) and placing the baking trays so they heat up.
- Next, cut the dough into 2 or 4 pieces, depending on how large you’d prefer your pizza. For the next step, you can either roll it out on a floured surface using a rolling pin or shape it using your bare hands as per your baking tray’s size.
- Get the baking tray out of the oven and dust it with semolina or flour. Carefully transfer the pizza dough on top.
- Add the tomato sauce evenly over the pizza base and top off with a lot of cheese. Bake until the cheese is completely melted, bubbling and golden. This should take you around 10-15 minutes.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 179Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 226mgCarbohydrates: 20gFiber: 1gSugar: 0gProtein: 8g