Pizza Toppings with Sharp Provolone Cheese

When making a homemade pizza, it's important to decide on the cheese or cheese blend to use. A good rule of thumb is to opt for a cheese blend. The most common cheese for pizza is mozzarella, known for its elasticity and great meltability. Mozzarella provides the classic pizza cheese texture with a mild flavor, which makes it a perfect addition to a pizza cheese blend that enhances the overall flavor profile. Adding a layer of sharp provolone to the pizza contributes to a flavor with a savory depth.

Piccante Provolone, or sharp provolone, has a strong, pungent smell and a savory flavor. This aged, semi-hard cheese has a bold flavor profile. When combined with mozzarella, it balances out the pungent aroma and taste, making it a great complement to pepperoni toppings.

Fresh mozzarella can release moisture, so it's best to pat it dry before placing it on top of the pizza sauce. It's also recommended to use the pizza sauce sparingly to avoid a soggy pizza. The pizza slice in the photo shows a heavy layer of fresh mozzarella, which can result in a pizza best enjoyed European-style – with a knife and fork, making it easier and safer to eat while hot.

I prefer a bit of char on my pizza, and slicing stick pepperoni into triangles enhances the charred effect. Some parts of the pepperoni triangles point upward and cook faster and hotter than the areas in contact with the cheese and sauce, resulting in a charred texture.

Best Canned Pizza Sauce

When experimenting with pizza toppings, it's best to make small changes at a time. I often use canned pizza sauce for this purpose, and my go-to brand is Don Pepino. It provides consistency when trying different cheese and topping combinations, which allows me to isolate the variables and evaluate each trial pizza. For most of my pizzas, I use pizza dough with malt syrup, which is featured in the photo.