Learn the Simple Way to Make Chesee Pizza

Hey there, folks! I'm Andres, and I've got my buddy Craig here in the Baking Steel test kitchen. We're all about dishing out top-notch pizza knowledge, food wisdom, and just good vibes. Positivity is our jam, and guess what? You rock for being here with us. Seriously, thank you.

Now, let's talk about our little pizza journey. Today, we're diving deep into the world of homemade pizza.

First things first, preheat that oven to a toasty 475-500 degrees Fahrenheit. And if you don't own a Baking Steel yet, trust us, you need one in your life. If you're rolling with a pizza stone, that's cool too – just put it on the top rack. But hey, consider joining Team Steel in the future.

Next up, your dough – it should be taken out of the fridge about an hour or so before showtime. Now, this dough, my friends, has been through some serious flavor training. We're talking 12 hours of room temperature bulk fermentation, followed by 1-3 days in the fridge. That's how you build that mouthwatering pizza flavor.

Fast forward to pizza day, and it's time to shape those dough balls. Flour up those hands and your workspace. Grab your cold dough, fold it in half, and start that gentle press-and-turn routine. We're not looking for a stress ball here, folks. It's all about being gentle. As you go, you'll feel the dough getting tighter and smoother. Seal the deal, trap those glorious natural gasses, and voilà – a perfect dough ball. Let it chill at room temp, covered, for 3-5 hours.

Now, let's fast forward again. Your dough is ready, and it's time to pizza-fy. Get your ingredients lined up – this is what we call "mise en place." Today, we're going all out on a white pizza with Parmesan Reggiano, fresh mozzarella, and fontina cheese. Here's the pizza play-by-play:

• Flour your pizza peel with a mix of flour and semolina – no cornmeal, we're not about that here.
• Gently stretch that dough into pizza perfection.
• Slide it onto your floured peel, ensuring it's nice and slidey.
• Time to get creative with your toppings. We're talking olive oil, a sprinkle of Parmesan Reggiano, fresh mozzarella torn into pieces, and shredded fontina.
• Slide your masterpiece onto a scorching hot Baking Steel or pizza stone in a 500-degree Fahrenheit oven.
• In about 3-3.5 minutes, you'll have a crispy, delicious pizza ready to rock your taste buds.

And that's the pizza magic, my friends. Feel free to get creative with your toppings – throw on some garlic, basil, whatever floats your pizza boat. Enjoy!