There’s something magic about a plain cheese pizza done right. No distractions just a crisp, golden crust, a rich tomato sauce, and a melty blend of cheese. I love throwing down this exact pie on our pizza nights at home. It’s the one I put in front of the kids first, simple, classic, and always gone in seconds.
🍕 How to Make the Perfect Cheese Pizza at Home Recipe
Ingredients:
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1 dough ball (300g) of 72-hour pizza dough
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⅓ cup Bianco DiNapoli crushed tomatoes
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75g low-moisture mozzarella, full fat
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75g low-moisture mozzarella, low fat
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1 Tbsp grated Romano cheese
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30g fresh mozzarella, torn by hand
Instructions:
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Preheat your oven with the Baking Steel Original inside at 500°F for 1 hour.
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Stretch dough to a 12-inch round.
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Spread crushed tomatoes evenly over the dough.
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Top with the blend of low-moisture mozzarella.
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Sprinkle with grated Romano.
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Add hand-torn fresh mozzarella last.
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Launch onto the Baking Steel.
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Cook under the broiler for 60 seconds.
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Switch to convection bake at 500°F and bake for 5–6 more minutes.
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Remove, rest 1–2 minutes, and slice.
Yield: 1 cheese pizza
Cook Time: 6–7 minutes
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: ~1 hour 15 minutes (including oven preheat)
🧠 Why This Pizza Works
There’s beauty in simplicity, especially when it’s dialed in. This cheese pizza is more than just sauce and mozzarella — it’s a layered flavor bomb built on technique:
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The dough: A 72-hour cold ferment develops deep flavor and the perfect crisp-chewy bite. It’s airy but strong — ideal for a cheese-forward pie.
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The sauce: Bianco DiNapoli tomatoes, lightly seasoned. Bright, fresh, and balanced.
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The cheese combo: Low-fat mozzarella melts clean. Full-fat adds stretch and richness. And that finishing touch of fresh mozz and Romano? Game changer.
This is the pizza my kids ask for every Friday — and honestly, I crave it too.
🧀 Sneaky Flavor Move: A Dusting of Romano
Right before the mozzarella goes on, I hit the sauce with a light snowfall of grated Pecorino Romano. Sharp, salty, and umami-packed — it melts into the sauce and brings a layer of flavor most people can’t quite place, but everyone loves.
You could use Parmesan here too, but Romano brings a bit more edge. It’s one of those little things that makes a homemade cheese pizza taste restaurant-level.
🔥 Crust Goals? It Starts with the Steel
All that flavor deserves the right foundation. I baked this one on my Baking Steel Original, preheated in a home oven for an hour. Then I hit broil for the first 60 seconds to supercharge the top, and dropped it back to convection for a crispy, golden crust.
That combination of bottom heat + broiler mimics a real pizza oven — and the Steel makes it happen. It’s the tool I reach for every Friday night.
👉 Grab the Baking Steel Original if you want restaurant-quality crust at home.
