Bushra Griffith
The best mozzarella cheese for pizza depends on the type of pizza and personal preference. For wood-fired, slightly soggy, Neapolitan pizzas, high-moisture, freshly made mozzarella is the best option. However, for most other pizza styles, low-moisture, aged mozzarella is preferred. This type of mozzarella melts better and stretches further, creating a tantalizing texture and taste. It is also saltier and denser, with a tangier flavour. When choosing a brand, factors to consider include salt content, fat content, melting ability, and overall flavour. Popular brands for pizza include Grande, Galbani, and Tillamook.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Meltability | High |
| Texture | Smooth, elastic, creamy |
| Flavour | Tangy, mild, creamy, salty |
| Moisture | Low |
| Type | Whole-milk, part-skim, fresh, aged, mozzarella di bufala |
| Brands | Sargento, Boar's Head, Grande, Galbani, Whole Foods 365 |
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What You'll Learn
Low-moisture mozzarella
Mozzarella is the most popular cheese in America, and it's all because of pizza. It is considered the best cheese for pizza because of its delicate, milky flavour, its smooth, elastic texture, and its fabulous meltability. The texture comes primarily from the fact that it is a pasta filata-type cheese (“spun paste” in Italian). These cheeses are kneaded during manufacture to give them a stretchy consistency that results in those delectable strands we know and love.
When making pizza at home, it is best to avoid pre-shredded cheese as it has anticaking agents that will prevent it from melting properly. Instead, opt for whole milk blocks of low-moisture mozzarella cheese and shred it yourself.
If you want to use fresh mozzarella on your pizza, it is recommended to dry it thoroughly by patting it as dry as possible and then leaving it to air dry on paper towels for 10 to 20 minutes. The more moisture you can remove before you bake the pizza, the better.
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Whole-milk mozzarella
Mozzarella is the most popular cheese in America, and it's all because of pizza. When it comes to choosing the best mozzarella for pizza, there are a few types to consider, including whole-milk mozzarella.
To evaluate the quality of whole-milk mozzarella, it is recommended to taste it both in raw form and melted on pizza or French bread. While the raw cheese may have a mild milkiness, the true test lies in its melted state. When melted, whole-milk mozzarella should retain its stretchiness without becoming soupy, ensuring that each bite of pizza has melty cheese that stretches into thin strands.
Additionally, whole-milk mozzarella can be combined with other cheeses to enhance its flavour and texture. For instance, blending it with aged mozzarella can reduce the overall moisture content, preventing a soggy pizza. Alternatively, mixing it with harder cheeses like Parmesan can add a boost of umami, while softer cheeses like ricotta can contribute to a creamier, meltier topping.
When using whole-milk mozzarella, it is essential to consider the desired outcome. For a classic, dependable pizza, low-moisture whole-milk mozzarella is a popular choice, as it has a longer shelf life, a saltier and denser flavour, and is less likely to result in a soggy pizza. However, for a true Neapolitan pizza, high-moisture, freshly made whole-milk mozzarella is key.
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Fresh mozzarella
To avoid a soggy pizza, it is essential to reduce the moisture content of fresh mozzarella before adding it to your pizza. This can be done by patting the cheese dry and then letting it air-dry on paper towels for about 10 to 20 minutes. The more moisture you can remove before baking, the better, as it will prevent the cheese from releasing water as it melts, creating a soupy texture instead of the desired melty, stretchy one.
When using fresh mozzarella, it is also crucial to consider the type of pizza you are making. For example, if you are going for a classic pie with a thin crust, it is better to use low-moisture mozzarella or a combination of fresh and aged mozzarella to reduce the risk of a soggy crust. However, if you are making a thicker crust pizza or a pizza with more robust toppings, fresh mozzarella can add a creamy texture and a milder flavour that complements the other ingredients.
Additionally, fresh mozzarella is traditional in certain types of pizzas, such as the Pizza Margherita, named for Queen Margherita of Savoy in the 1880s. This pizza represents the colours of the Italian flag: red (tomato), white (mozzarella), and green (basil). The simplicity of this pizza allows the freshness and flavour of the ingredients, including fresh mozzarella, to shine through.
When choosing fresh mozzarella for your pizza, look for whole-milk cheese and shred it yourself. Fresh mozzarella packaged in plastic, rather than brine, will also have a richer, more milky flavour. If you want to add a twist to your pizza, you can try using mozzarella di bufala, the Italian original made from the milk of domesticated water buffalo, or fior de latte, the cow's-milk version.
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Mozzarella blends
Mozzarella is the most popular cheese for pizza, but many pizza chefs like to blend it with other cheeses for a deeper flavour. The best cheese for pizza has a good meltability, a rich, gooey texture, and a mild flavour that allows other ingredients to shine.
Mozzarella and ricotta is another good blend, adding creaminess to melty cheese. Ricotta is a very mild, soft, and creamy cheese with a high water content, so it's best on a white pizza without tomato sauce.
For a blend with a salty-sweet flavour, grate a homemade mix of aged Parmesan, Asiago, and cheddar over your mozzarella. This blend is as soft and meltable as processed cheese, but with a more complex flavour.
For a simple blend, mozzarella and mild, tangy cheddar is a good option.
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Alternatives to mozzarella
While mozzarella is the classic choice for pizza, there are several alternatives that can offer a similar meltability with a more complex flavour. The key consideration when choosing an alternative is the moisture content, as drier cheeses tend to melt better and result in a less soggy pizza.
Cheddar is a popular choice for pizza toppings due to its sharp and tangy flavour, which pairs well with a variety of other ingredients. It is a semi-hard cheese that can be aged for different lengths of time, resulting in mild to extra sharp flavours. Its creamy and crumbly texture melts well and evenly, creating a gooey and savoury layer.
Other good melting cheeses include Colby, Edam, Fontina, Gouda, Jack, Muenster, Provolone, and Raclette. These cheeses vary in flavour from mild to sharp and nutty, with some offering a hint of sweetness or tanginess. When choosing an alternative to mozzarella, it is important to consider the other toppings and flavours on the pizza to ensure they will complement each other.
For those who prefer a more complex cheese flavour without sacrificing meltability, blending mozzarella with one or more of these alternative cheeses can be a great option. This allows for a deeper cheese experience while still enjoying the classic stretch and gooeyness of mozzarella. Ultimately, the best cheese for pizza comes down to personal preference and the desired flavour profile.
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Frequently asked questions
The best mozzarella cheese to use depends on the type of pizza being made. For a wood-fired, soggy-in-the-middle, true Neapolitan pizza, a high-moisture, freshly made mozzarella (ideally from water buffalo milk) is recommended. However, for most other pizza styles, including New York-style, crispy Greek-style, bar pies, New Haven apizza, and Chicago deep-dish pies, low-moisture aged mozzarella is the cheese of choice. This is because low-moisture mozzarella has better meltability and stretch, resulting in a gooey and cheesy pizza. Some recommended brands for low-moisture mozzarella include Galbani, Grande, and Tillamook.
Low-moisture mozzarella has better meltability due to its lower moisture content. It stretches and melts perfectly, creating a tantalizing texture and taste. It also has a saltier and denser flavour profile, which can be enhanced through ageing.
When choosing a mozzarella cheese for pizza, factors such as salt content, fat content, meltability, and overall flavour should be considered. It is also important to pay attention to the specific type of pizza being made, as different styles may require different types of mozzarella. Additionally, personal preferences play a role, as some people may prefer a tangier or milder flavour profile.
