It’s national pizza day or time for that house party, and your friends will be coming over soon. You’ve got your dough spread out right before you and a couple of ideas for what topping will be the best.
While there are a variety of toppings like sausage, pepperoni, onions, peppers, bacon, and chicken, cheese is also an excellent topping. Cheese is not only used as an ingredient in foods. It can also be used as toppings on snacks like pizza.
Continue reading this blog post to find out more about pizza toppings and the kinds of cheese you use for pizza toppings.
What Is Considered A Topping On A Pizza?
The ingredients you see on top of a pizza crust are pizza toppings. Pizza toppings range from vegetables, meats, sauces, seafood sausages, and fruits. The essence of adding toppings to your pizza is to enrich, decorate, and improve the flavor or taste.
The good thing about adding toppings to your pizza is that you can choose the kind of pizza you want, especially if you are allergic to particular ingredients; you have a wide range of options.
Below is a list of toppings on pizzas
- Bacon
- Shrimps
- Peppers
- Tomatoes
- Onions
- Chicken
- Cheese
- Pepperoni
- Mushroom
- Sausages
- Olives
- Spinach
- Ham and pineapple
- Basil
- Beef, etc.
Is Cheese A Topping On Pizza Dominos?
Yes, of course. Cheese is an active topping on Domino’s pizza. They have a variety of cheese toppings to suit your taste. Cheddar, mozzarella, provolone (sliced or shredded), Parmesan, and feta, are different Domino’s cheese topping flavors. If you are allergic to cheese, you can choose other toppings ingredients.
What Kind Of Cheese Is A Topping On Pizza?
Many people do not eat pizza without topping it with cheese. You don’t want to spoil your pizza with the kind of cheese you use. That is why it is important to understand cheeses suitable for pizza toppings.
Many kinds of cheese can be used for cheese toppings, mozzarella, provolone, cheddar, Parmesan, gouda, Ricotta, gruyere, etc. To successfully top your pizza with cheese, you must consider the cheese’s melting ability, moisture and fat content, stretchiness, and brown ability.
Factors To Consider When Choosing Cheese As A Topping
Below are factors you should consider before choosing cheese as a topping for your pizza
1. Melting Ability
When you want to pick a cheese for your pizza toppings, you should consider the melting capacity of the cheese. Look for a cheese that will melt fast without leaving lumps or oil on your pizza. Hard and aged cheese does not easily melt. Ensure that you buy soft cheeses that will easily spread over your pizza.
Some cheeses that melt faster are American cheese, Velveeta, cheddar, provolone, mozzarella, Gouda, fontina, and Jack cheese. Mozzarella with low-water content is a good option when considering its melt ability.
2. Stretchability
Besides buying a cheese that easily melts, it ensures that it can also stretch. You don’t want cheese that will be too hard to stretch or sog on your pizza after melting. Hence, you must consider its stretching capacity.
3. Moisture And Fat Content
A cheese’s amount of fat and moisture determines how brown it will become and stretch.
Below are the kinds of cheese you should use for your pizza.
1. Mozzarella Cheese
A common cheese used for pizza topping is mozzarella cheese. It is very common because it melts faster, stretches well, and turns light brown without burning when you put it in the pizza oven. Mozzarella comes in two forms: low and high moisture content.
Low moisture content mozzarella is a more lasting cheese than high one. Because the cheese contains less water, it is easy to melt with a longer lifespan. If you are considering mozzarella cheese, choose the one with low moisture content.
You can combine mozzarella cheese with other ingredients to have a sweet taste and flavor. Tomatoes, pepperoni, olives, salami, basil, red peppers, and Vienna sausage are examples of ingredients you can combine with mozzarella cheese.
2. Provolone Cheese
This time, you are looking for cheese with high melting and stretchability and cheese with a sweeter taste and flavor. Provolone cheeses are also popular; they are creamy and can be dry when they have stayed long.
You can pair provolone cheese with other topping ingredients like chicken, spinach, sausage, broccoli, basil, pesto, onions, and tomatoes.
3. Cheddar Cheese
Cheddar is also a common cheese that goes well with other cheeses. You should consider adding cheddar cheese as a topping to make colorful cheese. With a medium moisture and browning level, cheddar cheese is a versatile cheese not only used for pizza alone but for other snacks like cheeseburgers and chicken bacon ranch.
You can combine cheddar cheese with broccoli, chicken, bacon, capers, ham, pepperoni, etc.
4. Parmesan Cheese
Although parmesan cheeses are hard, sprinkling it on your pizza to complement other toppings will not be bad. I don’t recommend Parmesan cheese for every kind of pizza. But you can use them for Hawaiian or Margherita pizza. Parmesan cheese goes well with mozzarella and provolone cheese.
5. Goat cheese
Another pizza cheese to consider is goat cheese obtained from goat’s milk. The creamy cheese gives your pizza a unique taste and smell. Other topping ingredients to combine with your goat meat pizza are mushroom, arugula, figs, pepper, basil, caramelized onions, peppers, etc.
6. Gouda Cheese
If you are looking for versatile cheese with a unique flavor and deliciousness, you should buy the gouda cheese. Gouda cheese can be smoked, resulting in a smokey and buttery flavor. Gouda cheese goes well with pulled pork, spinach, olives, barbecue chicken, etc.
What Are The Top 5 Toppings On A Pizza?
Pizza toppings are not limited to a particular ingredient. Vegans, non-vegans, and those on diets can have a good pizza experience. Pizza allows you to customize your toppings. Below are the top five toppings on a pizza.
1. Pepperoni
The pizza topping that is leading other toppings is pepperoni. It is popular and highly consumed. Reports show that it is the most popular and preferred topping in America.
2. Mushroom
Mushroom is the second top topping for pizza. Mushrooms blend so well with other veggies and meat pies. They make give your pizza a unique taste and flavor.
3. Onions
Onions are a versatile vegetable. Having it as a topping will give a pungent taste and flavor.
4. Sausages
Sausages blend well with other toppings. You can pair cheese with pepperoni, bacon, or even meatballs depending on your combo.
5. Extra Cheese
Very few people do not want cheese as a topping on their pizza. Cheese is a universal pizza topping and it gives just the perfect pizza taste and flavor. A commonly used cheese for pizza is mozzarella cheese.
Spinach Artichoke Pizza
Equipment
- Oven
- Pizza stone or baking sheet
- Rolling pin (if using homemade dough)
- Skillet or frying pan
- Mixing bowl
- Spoon or spatula for mixing
- Chef's knife for chopping ingredients
- Cutting board
- Parchment paper (optional)
- Flour for dusting (if rolling out dough)
- Cheese grater (if using block cheese)
- Oven mitts or kitchen towels for handling hot pans and pizza
Ingredients
- Pizza dough (store-bought or homemade)
- 2 cups of fresh spinach leaves (or 1 cup of frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed)
- 1 cup of artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
- 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
- 4 ounces of cream cheese, softened
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to the recommended temperature (usually 425°F or 220°C) and ensure your pizza stone or baking sheet is ready.
- Gather the necessary ingredients: pizza dough, spinach, artichoke hearts, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, cream cheese, garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
- Thaw the spinach (if using frozen) and squeeze out any excess moisture.
- Drain and chop the artichoke hearts.
- Grate the mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese.
- Mince the garlic cloves.
- Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and sauté the minced garlic until fragrant.
- Add the spinach and artichoke hearts to the skillet and cook until heated through.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the cooked spinach and artichoke mixture with the cream cheese, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. Mix well.
- Roll out your pizza dough onto a floured surface or directly onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Spread the spinach and artichoke mixture evenly over the dough, leaving a small border around the edges for the crust.
- Place the pizza in the preheated oven and bake for approximately 12-15 minutes, or until the crust turns golden brown and the cheese is bubbling and slightly browned.
- Slice the pizza into eight equal-sized pieces and serve hot.
Video
Conclusion
Even though many ingredients can be used for pizza toppings, cheese remains a major topping. Unless you are allergic to dairy cheese. There is no formula for topping cheese. You can customize your toppings to how you want and like.
