Although you can make pizza with almost any kind of cheese, mozzarella cheese is the hands-down favorite. Stringy, chewy, and slightly salty, it holds its own without overpowering the other pizza toppings. In fact, what many argue is the world’s best pizza — Pizza Margherita — has only tomatoes, fresh basil, and mozzarella as its ingredients. And the flavor is incredible.
There are actually several kinds of mozzarella cheese available. So if you’ve been using the packaged, pre-shredded kind that comes in a plastic bag, branch out and try something different. Fresh, high-moisture cheese produces a pizza that‘s quite different from one made with the low-moisture kind.
Two kinds of mozzarella are used in Naples, which is the pizza center of the universe. Fior di latte is made from cow’s milk — it can be either pasteurized or unpasteurized. And mozzarella di bufala is made from the milk of the water buffalo.
Fresh mozzarella cheese
During the 16h century, water buffalos were brought back to Italy from India. The milk is hard to digest, but it makes cheese that’s sweet and creamy. Unlike mozzarella from cow’s milk, it is pure white. Because there are so few herds, it’s more expensive than fior di latte, but you don’t need much to make a great pizza.
Mozzarella di Bufala Campana, which is made in the area around Naples, is a European Union Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) product. Most authentic, Neapolitan pizzas are made with this.
Unlike most cheese, mozzarella isn’t aged and it’s best when it’s very fresh.
To make mozzarella, the cheese curds are heated in water until they form into strings. Then they’re stretched, kneaded, and shaped into balls. This fresh cheese is stored in brine and is quite moist, so you’ll need to drain it and press out the liquid before using it to top your pizza. Otherwise, your crust will be limp.
Pizza with burrata cheese
Don’t grate it. Use a sharp knife and cut it into thin slices, then lay them on top of the pizza about three or four inches apart. They will spread a little during cooking. But this kind of mozzarella should cover the pizza. And consider foregoing other pizza toppings so you can really savor the flavor of the cheese.
Burrata cheese has been eaten in Italy for decades, but it has only recently become popular in the United States. It has an outer shell of mozzarella, and an inner core of fresh cream. When you cut into it, the center oozes out, blends with the mozzarella, and creates a sinfully delicious concoction. The sweetness of burrata is great when combined with salty meats like prosciutto.
As the burrata bakes, it will spread over the surface of the pizza. It’s very rich — and expensive — so use it sparingly.
Smoked mozzarella, also called affumicata, can add a whole other dimension of flavor. And hard, grating cheeses like Parmigiano-Reggiano and Grana Padano also are an excellent complement to fresh mozzarella.
Next time you’re at your grocery store, look in the cheese section for fresh, high moisture mozzarella cheese and give it a try.
Read how to make your own mozzarella cheese here.
Fresh mozzarella cheese Image Flickr: SanFranAnnie
Pizza with burrata cheese Image Flickr: arnold | inuyaki
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