Four-Cheese Pizza with Spicy Honey
A blend of tender cheese topping, crispy crusts and a light sweet-and-piquant accent. Suluguni adds saltiness and stretch, mozzarella makes a soft creamy base, hard cheese deepens the flavour, and parmesan finishes it with a pronounced aroma. A final drizzle of lightly spiced honey balances the cheeses' saltiness and gives the pizza an unusual but harmonious finish.
Preparation
- 1
Activate the yeast: mix warm water, sugar and yeast and leave 8–10 minutes until foamy (the water shouldn't be hot).
- 2
Add the flour, salt and olive oil and knead 8–10 minutes to a smooth, elastic, slightly sticky dough.
- 3
Shape a ball, move to a greased bowl, cover and leave in a warm place 1–1.5 hours until doubled.
- 4
Punch down the dough, divide into 2–3 parts, shape balls and rest 10–15 minutes.
- 5
Heat the oven to 220–250°C along with a tray, stone or steel.
- 6
Grate or slice the suluguni, hard cheese and mozzarella (blot wet mozzarella); grate the parmesan separately.
- 7
Stretch the dough by hand into a ≈28–30 cm base, making the centre thinner and the edges thicker (no rolling pin).
- 8
Spread the suluguni, hard cheese and mozzarella evenly without piling the centre; optionally add pepper or oregano.
- 9
Transfer the pizza to the hot surface and bake ~10–12 minutes (check at 7–8 in a very hot oven) until the crusts are golden and the cheese melts.
- 10
Take out the pizza, immediately sprinkle grated parmesan, drizzle thin lines of spicy honey, optionally add basil and serve immediately.
Chef's tips
- —Use warm (30–35°C), not hot, water for the yeast.
- —Don't add extra flour while kneading — a slightly sticky dough becomes more elastic after proofing.
- —Don't roll the dough with a pin — it removes the air bubbles.
- —Heat the tray or stone well to quickly crisp the pizza base.
- —Dry the mozzarella and don't overload the base with cheese.
- —Add parmesan and spicy honey after the oven to keep the aroma and avoid burning.
