Step 1

Follow the Best Pizza Dough or Thin Crust Dough recipe to prepare the dough. (This takes about 15 minutes to make and 45 minutes to rest.)

Step 2

Place a pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 500°F. OR preheat your pizza oven (here’s the pizza oven we use).

Step 3

Mince the garlic. In a small bowl, mix the ricotta with the kosher salt, fresh ground pepper and minced garlic.

Step 4

When the oven is ready, dust a pizza peel with cornmeal or semolina flour. (If you don’t have a pizza peel, you can use a rimless baking sheet or the back of a rimmed baking sheet. But a pizza peel is well worth the investment!) Stretch the dough into a circle; see How to Stretch Pizza Dough for instructions. Then gently place the dough onto the pizza peel.

Step 5

Gently spread the seasoned ricotta onto the dough. Top with the mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, and a sprinkle of kosher salt. If desired, top with dried or fresh oregano and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes.

Step 6

Use the pizza peel to carefully transfer the pizza onto the preheated pizza stone. Bake the pizza until the cheese and crust are nicely browned, about 5 to 7 minutes in the oven (or 1 minute in a pizza oven). Slice into pieces and serve immediately.