The salty, Greek-born feta cheese is not an unusual pizza topping, but it is not the most prevalent one either. A feta pizza usually will have a decidedly Mediterranean look and taste. Just like any pizza, the dough texture and flavoring can vary depending on the chef. The sauce can be marinara or some other viable option like pesto, along with seasonings that highlight all the ingredients like basil, oregano and thyme. In addition to feta, the toppings generally consist of other ingredients popular in the region like spinach, artichokes and olives.
The foundation of feta pizza, or any other variety, is the dough. Some cooks save the trouble of making their own by buying a pre-made pizza dough in the store and refrigerating it until ready to make the meal. Others buy dry pizza dough mixes and add in just water the night before.
When made at home, the dough consists of a precise mixture of flour, yeast, water, olive oil and salt — the proportions of which can easily be obtained from various online tutorials. In all cases, the dough should be left to ferment overnight in the refrigerator before use, or the final texture might not be tough enough to satisfy more discriminating eaters. Instead of a thicker dough, some even make feta pizza on the fly with pita bread. These pizzas take just minutes to bake to a satisfying crisp.
The sauce for feta pizza varies according to the recipe being followed. A popular sauce is the traditional marinara, seasoned with spices like oregano and basil. Other recipes call for a different approach, such as using pesto sauce instead, a blend of olive oil, basil, pine nuts, grated cheese, garlic and even sun-dried tomatoes. Still, others have no sauce at all, using just olive oil and the toppings to provide moisture.
Feta pizza can satisfy with any number of different toppings. Perhaps most familiar are spinach, artichokes, mushrooms, sliced green or black olives, tomatoes, onions and banana peppers. Meats like bacon, sausage and ground beef also have shared space with feta on many pizzas. For this type of pizza, simplicity seems to be the most prevalent path. A popular recipe contains just olive oil, pesto, wilted spinace, caramelized onions and feta, perhaps with mushrooms and artichokes for more complexity.
A common spice blend used on many feta pizzas is called za’atar. Helping to evoke a Middle Eastern or Mediterranean feeling, this is a mixture of ingredients like sesame seeds, thyme, sage, oregano, marjoram and mint. Though some cooks prepare their own special za'atar, with any number of spice combinations, many others just buy it at the store.
