Cacio E Pepe Pizza
Prepare yourself for a melt-in-your-mouth experience as we transform a classic pasta dish into a cheesy, peppery pizza. Top homemade pizza dough with mozzarella and Pecorino Romano cheese and lots of freshly ground black pepper. Then, finish with a swirl of Parmesan cream that will leave your taste buds wanting more. We add a bit of crushed ice to the center of the pizza dough before baking to create a slightly sticky surface that will help the cheese melt into a sauce and prevent the center of the crust from burning.
Tasty Team
77% would make again
Total Time
10 hr 15 min
10 hr 15 min
Prep Time
10 hr
10 hr
Cook Time
12 minutes
12 min
Total Time
10 hr 15 min
10 hr 15 min
Prep Time
10 hr
10 hr
Cook Time
12 minutes
12 min
Ingredients
for 1 pizza
Pizza Dough
- 2 cups bread flour (250 g), plus more for dusting
- 1 cup warm water (240 mL)
- ¾ teaspoon instant yeast
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 2 teaspoons crushed ice
Parmesan Cream
- ½ cup whole milk ricotta cheese (120 mL)
- ¼ cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese (55 g)
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
Assembly
- 8 slices fresh mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup shredded pecorino romano cheese (100 g)
- 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
Preparation
- Make the pizza dough: In a large bowl, combine the flour and warm water and stir with your hands until a shaggy mass forms (it will be a little dry, but will hydrate after resting). Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let the dough rest at room temperature for 20 minutes.
- Uncover the bowl and sprinkle the yeast and salt over the dough. Stir with a wooden spoon until the yeast and salt are evenly distributed.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until a smooth ball forms, about 10 minutes. It will be very sticky because of the high hydration. Try not to use too much extra flour; instead use a bench scraper or flat metal spatula to scrape the dough from the surface and continue kneading. You can also dip your palms in flour to help keep the dough from sticking.
- Grease a clean large bowl with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, then place the dough in the bowl, cover with the kitchen towel, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 90 minutes. Remove the towel and loosely cover the bowl with plastic wrap, then place in the refrigerator overnight.
- Make the Parmesan cream: Add the ricotta, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and heavy cream to a blender and blend on medium speed until just combined, about 15 seconds. Transfer to a zip-top bag and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let come to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 500°F (260°C). Place a baking sheet, upside down, in the center of the oven while it preheats.
- Drizzle the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over a clean baking sheet.
- Transfer the dough from the bowl to the oiled baking sheet. Gently use your hands to stretch it into a 12-inch round. Place the crushed ice in the center of the dough.
- Place the baking sheet with the pizza in the oven on top of the inverted baking sheet. Bake until the edges begin to crisp and the pizza dough is light golden in color, about 8 minutes.
- Remove the pizza from the oven and arrange the mozzarella slices evenly on top, then sprinkle with the Pecorino Romano.
- Return the pizza to the oven and continue baking until the cheese is completely melted, about 4 minutes more.
- Remove the pizza from the oven and use a pepper mill to evenly grind the black pepper over the entire pizza.
- Cut a ½-inch opening from the corner of the zip-top bag with the Parmesan cream, then drizzle in a circular pattern over the pizza.
- Slice into 8 pieces and serve.
- Enjoy!
- Recipe By: Codii Lopez
- Inspired By: La Cucina Italiana
- Don't just wing it -- plan it! Use our meal planner tool in the Tasty app. Download here.
