Does any visit to your favourite pizzeria start without garlic cheese pizza? Of course not! My best garlic pizza uses both parmesan and mozzarella, and infuses olive oil with garlic (it only takes 10 minutes). It’s outrageously good!
Pizza base choices: RecipeTin classic pizza base, speedy no-yeast pizza base or store-bought.
Garlic cheese pizza
My love for garlic pizza runs deep, which is no surprise to anyone who knows me. It’s literally 100% cheese and carbs, without even an ounce of good-for-you greens. That pretty much sums me up.😂
Some days I really wish I was one of “those people” who genuinely craves fresh vegetables over cheese and carbs. It’s not that I hate vegetables, I don’t at all! It’s just……well, you know. Put a piping hot garlic cheese pizza in front of me, in all its magnificent melty cheesy glory, alongside the best salad in the world, and there’s just no question what I’m going for, every single time:
Ingredients
You can use any pizza base you want – homemade classic, this magic no-yeast pizza base or store bought. But for best results, grate your own cheese! Store bought pre-grated is packaged with anti-caking agents which prevents the cheese from melting nicely.
Garlic – Fresh, and only fresh! Garlic pasties jars and tubes have an unpleasant sourness to them due to the preservatives. There is no substitution for the real thing!
Mozzarella cheese – For melting perfection and lovely brown golden spots on the surface. Also, mozzarella is not oily like other cheeses.
Parmesan – This adds flavour, because parmesan is loaded with savoury flavour and is salty.
Olive oil – Mixed with the garlic to spread on the pizza base.
Salt – For seasoning. Only 1/8 teaspoon is required
Pizza dough options
As for the pizza base, choose what works for you! Here are my options:
Classic pizza base (yeast based) – Italian wood fired pizza style! This takes 5 to 6 hours to make including 2 dough-proofing sessions but is straight forward. Hand knead 5 minutes or 40 second food processor blitz.
Magic no-yeast pizza base – This is not a sad substitution for a classic yeast pizza base. It is really good! Made in 40 seconds flat from start to finish using a food processor, no resting or rising required.
Store bought, or other homemade pizza base of choice.
How to make Garlic Cheese Pizza
My little secret tip is to infuse the oil with lovely garlic flavour by setting it aside for just 10 minutes. And use a garlic press for maximum release of flavour!
Steep oil with garlic – Mix the oil and garlic and set aside for 10 minutes to infuse with flavour.
Stretch your chosen pizza base onto a pizza pan, preferably one with holes in it (crispy base!).
Spread the garlic infused oil over the base.
Sprinkle with parmesan then mozzarella, leaving a border around the crust (for gripping purposes).
Note: If you are using my no-yeast pizza base, spray or brush the exposed edge with olive oil so it browns. You don’t need to do this for yeast-based pizza dough.
Bake for 8 minutes in a hot 250°C / 480°F (230°C fan) oven, rotating the tray halfway, until you have lovely golden spots on the cheese.
Cut and eat!
Cut and devour immediately, while the cheese is at its melty, oozy perfection. Marvel at how similar it is to that great pizzeria you went to a few months ago with your friends, but feel smug that this homemade one cost you less than $6 to make and how you get to eat it in the comfort of your own home in trackies and ugg boots. Proof below. – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Garlic cheese pizza
Ingredients
Pizza 30cm/12" base – your choice (Note 1):
- 1 classic pizza dough (wood-fired Italian style)
- 1 fast no-yeast pizza dough (this is excellent!)
- 1 Store bought
Garlic pizza topping:
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp garlic (2 – 3 large cloves), crushed using garlic press or make paste using side of knife – Note 2)
- 1/8 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt (or table salt, or double qty for salt flakes)
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese (tightly packed cup), shredded using box grater (Note 3 on pre-shredded)
- 1/2 cup parmesan (tightly packed cup), shredded using box grater (Note 3)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250°C / 480°F (230°C fan). Allow time to get it nice and hot!!
- Garlic infused oil – Mix olive oil and garlic in a small bowl. Set aside to infuse with flavour for 10 minutes.
- Pizza base – Make and roll out chosen pizza base, stretch onto pan.
- Top – Spread oil (and all garlic) onto the base, leaving the crust baked. Sprinkle with salt, parmesan then mozzarella. (If using no-yeast base, spray/brush exposed crust with olive oil.)
- Bake 8 minutes, turning after 4 minutes, or until the the cheese has golden spots. Cut and eat, stat!
Recipe Notes:
- Classic pizza dough (yeast) – 5 min hand knead or stand-mix or 40 second food processor, plus 4 to 6 hours rising time (across 2 rises)
- No yeast pizza dough – This is excellent, not a sad substitute for yeast pizza. 40 seconds in food processor, or hand knead. NO RISE TIME.
- Store bought – anything of your choice, un-cooked or par-cooked (else it will burn before cheese melts)
Life of Dozer
Proof of trackies and ugg boots as referred to above…. And no garlic pizza for Dozer!! Garlic is bad for dogs!
I believe #4 is meant to say bare. In recipe narrative it mentions leaving the edge for gripping.
#5 just means to rotate your pan, so it cooks evenly all over.
It looks delicious 😋
Thanks – I went through the whole page to find out when the crust was supposed to be baked, lol.
Nagi, #4 instruction reads “Top – Spread oil (and all garlic) onto the base, leaving the crust baked.” What does “leaving the crust baked.” mean when in #5 instruction reads “Bake 8 minutes, turning after 4 minutes, or until the the cheese has golden spots.”?
Hi Pat,
I think #4 is meant to read “leaving the crust bare.” So leave the outside without toppings so it forms the crust. (You need to be able to hold your pizza somewhere to eat it 😉) Then you can move on to step #5 and bake it.
Tricia – thank you for your reply – I was really confused about this – but then again, at 76, it doesn’t take much to confuse me.
Your most welcome Pat. I totally get it and I’m only 56 😄
Hi Nagi,
just a quick question today that isn’t related to the delicious recipe you have kindly shared. Food is important but our pets are even more so.
Now that you have moved house, does Dozer come to work with you each day?
Try rinsing off the shredded cheese to get off what ever it is that won’t let it melt properly. Drain well and use as normal. What do you think? I did it twice and thought it worked pretty well.
It’s easier to grate instead of dealing with wet cheese.
Not to me! I hate cleaning the grater and wet cheese was an easy trade off for me. Try it sometime!
Since I never purchased shredded cheese, there’s no chance of me trying it. I always purchase block cheese. Shredding is no problem.
I buy shredded for convenience in case I have an “emergency” – like if I have leftovers from a big cook day and I use it to throw together a quick “heat and eat” pasta bake or something to give away 🙂 I also find it’s good to have as a standby in case I run out of block cheese, but I agree with you. block cheese is my default! N x
Not to me! I hate cleaning the grater as I don’t have a dishwasher. I’d rather deal with wet cheese. Try it sometime. I was pleasantly surprised. Didn’t have block cheese on hand and wanted that nice melt so I rinsed some shredded cheese, shook off the water and topped my pizza. I couldn’t believe it worked!
Nagi san, this is my kind of food. Thank you you Nagi san.
Hugs to Dozer.
Just putting this together for dinner tonight. The no rise version , we have in the past used wraps as a base which I might try next time. I have no doubt it should be good.