This quattro formaggi pizza recipe is straightforward once you have got the technique down.
Quattro formaggi – four cheese pizza – is one of the most satisfying things you can cook in a pizza oven. The combination of four different cheeses, each melting at a different rate and contributing a distinct flavour, produces a complex, deeply savoury pizza that needs no sauce and almost no effort to prepare.
Choosing Your Four Cheeses
The classic quattro formaggi combination varies by region in Italy, but the principle is always the same: combine cheeses with different textures, melt characteristics, and flavours. A good starting combination:
- Mozzarella fior di latte: the stretchy base – tear into pieces and distribute across the pizza
- Gorgonzola dolce: the bold element – crumble small pieces over the pizza
- Fontina: the sweet, melty element – grate or slice thinly
- Parmesan (Parmigiano Reggiano): the sharp, savoury finish – finely grated over the top
Variations
If you can’t find fontina, substitute taleggio (stronger, earthier), provolone (slightly smoky), or scamorza (firmer, less milky than mozzarella). If gorgonzola dolce is too assertive for your taste, use a milder blue cheese or replace it with pecorino. The only essential is mozzarella as the base.
Ingredients (per 12-inch pizza)
- 1 pizza dough ball (see our pizza dough recipe)
- 80g fresh mozzarella fior di latte, torn
- 40g gorgonzola dolce, crumbled
- 40g fontina, thinly sliced or grated
- 20g parmesan, finely grated
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Fresh black pepper
- A few fresh sage or thyme leaves (optional)
- Honey to drizzle (optional but highly recommended with gorgonzola)
Method
Prepare
Bring your dough to room temperature for at least 1 hour before using. Tear the mozzarella into pieces and pat dry with kitchen paper – excess moisture will make the centre of the pizza wet. Crumble the gorgonzola into small pieces. Have all cheeses ready before you stretch the dough, as timing is important once the dough is on the peel.
Stretch and Top
Stretch your dough to a 12-inch round and lay it on a well-dusted pizza peel. Work quickly. Drizzle a little olive oil over the dough, leaving a 2cm border. Distribute the mozzarella pieces across the base, then scatter the fontina, then the gorgonzola. Finish with the grated parmesan. Add a few sage or thyme leaves if using. Grind black pepper over the top.
Cook
Preheat your pizza oven to 430-470°C on the stone surface. Check with an infrared thermometer. Launch the pizza and cook for 60-90 seconds, rotating every 20-30 seconds. The gorgonzola will melt and pool into golden puddles; the parmesan will toast on top; the mozzarella will bubble and blister.
Watch carefully – a cheese-heavy pizza can burn faster than a tomato-based pizza. The parmesan in particular will colour quickly. If the top is browning too fast, move the pizza slightly away from the flame or briefly shield the top.
Finish
Remove from the oven and immediately drizzle with a small amount of good honey. The combination of gorgonzola and honey is exceptional – the sweetness balances the sharpness and saltiness of the cheese perfectly. Add a few fresh thyme leaves if you didn’t add them before cooking. Serve immediately.
Tips
- Don’t use too much of any one cheese – you want balance between the four flavours, not one dominating
- Low-moisture mozzarella works better than fresh fior di latte if you want a drier result, but fior di latte has better flavour
- Gorgonzola piccante (the aged, stronger version) can overpower everything else – use dolce for a better balance
- This pizza is excellent on sourdough dough – the slight tang complements the richness of the cheese combination
Quattro formaggi is one of those pizzas that demonstrates exactly why cooking in a quality pizza oven at high temperature matters. Each cheese behaves differently under intense heat, creating a result that’s greater than the sum of its parts.
