September 5 is National Cheese Pizza Day, a celebration of a pie that proves a short ingredient list need not produce a simple pleasure. A well-made cheese pizza brings together a crisp yet chewy crust, bright tomato sauce, creamy mozzarella, and perhaps a little olive oil, basil, or grated Parmesan.
The holiday's beginnings are difficult to pin down. One of the earliest known newspaper references appeared in Wisconsin in 1996, although a Michigan appliance store held its own Cheese Pizza Day during an oven demonstration in 1965. The pizza itself has a much longer history, emerging from the inexpensive topped flatbreads sold in Naples during the 18th and 19th centuries.
Tomatoes, basil, and sliced mozzarella appeared together on Neapolitan pizzas by at least 1849. A popular legend credits pizzaiolo Raffaele Esposito with creating the red, white, and green Margherita pizza for Queen Margherita of Savoy in 1889, but historians have found that the combination existed well before the royal visit. The queen may have helped make it fashionable, but Naples had already done the culinary work.
Cheese pizza eventually traveled far beyond its Neapolitan roots, becoming a New York street staple, a Friday-night tradition, and the dependable center of countless family tables. Its enduring appeal rests in the balance of four familiar elements, each one simple enough to recognize and demanding enough to spend a lifetime perfecting.
The Last Pizza Dough Recipe
Alton Brown's six-ingredient dough spends a night in the refrigerator developing flavor before becoming three crisp, chewy pizzas sturdy enough for enthusiastic stretching and a generous load of favorite toppings.
New York-Style Pizza Sauce
Whole peeled tomatoes simmer with butter, olive oil, onion, herbs, and red pepper flakes until sweet, tangy, and deeply savory. The finished sauce spreads easily without leaving the crust soggy.
King Arthur Book of Pizza
Great pizza deserves more than one formula. This comprehensive cookbook explores 12 distinctive styles, with tested recipes covering dough, sauce, cheese, toppings, and baking methods for nearly every kind of home oven.
Homemade Mozzarella
Whole milk, citric acid, and rennet form the curds for fresh mozzarella, while a brief stretch in hot water creates its familiar smooth surface, tender bite, and satisfying elasticity.
Ooni Pizza Oven
The Ooni Koda 2 Pro brings pizzeria heat to the backyard with an 18-inch cooking area and temperatures reaching 950 degrees. Its propane burner distributes heat evenly, while Bluetooth monitoring keeps track of the bake.
