Mushroom Pizza Recipe With Goat Cheese and Garlic

Pizza is an Italian dish consisting of yeasted dough covered in toppings and baked in a very hot oven until golden brown. Mushrooms are one of the most popular pizza toppings, and you can serve mushrooms on pizzas with tomato-based sauce or on pizza bianca (white pizza). Earthy mushrooms go well with a variety of pizza toppings or shine on their own.

Pizza is a great way to explore different mushroom varieties. Focus on one, or try a mix:

1. 1. Button or white mushroom: This entry-level mushroom is the most common and mildest-tasting mushroom you’ll find in most grocery stores. Slice thinly before using on pizza.
2. 2. Portobello and crimini mushrooms: The meaty texture of this large brown mushroom makes it a great meat substitute. A crimino is a young portobello mushroom that is light brown and more flavorful than button mushrooms. If using either variety for pizza, slice thinly.
3. 3. Shiitake mushroom: Lentinula edodes, or shiitake mushrooms, are commonly used in Asian cuisine and are thought to have medicinal benefits. They're best identified by their umbrella-shaped brown caps and have a light woodsy flavor and aroma. Shiitake mushrooms have a meaty texture and release an earthy, umami flavor when cooked. Large shiitake mushrooms should be thinly sliced for pizza, while smaller ones may be used whole.
4. 4. Maitake or hen of the woods mushroom: Grifola frondosa or maitake are cultivated as well as found wild. These mushrooms are sold in clusters with soft overlapping caps. This mushroom has an earthy aroma and is native to both the northwestern US and Japan. If using on pizza, separate the caps for even cooking.
5. 5. Porcini mushroom: Porcini are one of the most prized wild mushrooms and commonly used in Italian cooking. They have caps that are reddish-brown in color with creamy, nutty flavors. Porcini mushrooms are often sold dried, and can be soaked in hot water before using. If using on pizza, slice thinly.

Pizza cooks for a short time in a very hot oven, so it's important to cook certain toppings, such as meat, ahead of time. Mushrooms should also be pre-cooked since they release water when they cook, and you don't want your thin-crust pizza getting soggy.

Follow these tips to make the best pizza at home:

1. 1. Try homemade pizza dough: Pizza dough is easy to make at home, provided you plan ahead for the time it takes to rise. For a gluten-free alternative, try making your own pizza crust with chickpea flour.
2. 2. Skip the pizza stone: If it’s your first time making pizza at home and transferring it onto a pizza stone in a blazing hot oven sounds intimidating, use a baking sheet instead. To make it even easier (and safer), you can skip preheating the pizza pan and build your pizza directly onto the baking sheet and bake. As long as your oven is at a high temperature (500 degrees Fahrenheit), you’ll still get those crispy edges you’re after.
3. 3. Go light on the toppings: While extra cheese, hot peppers, bacon, sausage, and pineapple all sound delicious, try limiting your toppings when you’re making pizza to keep the crust from getting soggy. When there are a lot of toppings, it masks the flavor of the dough and doesn't allow the dough to cook properly in the oven.