Wild Mushroom/Olive/Sun-Dried Tomato Pizza

This pizza piles on the savory: wild mushrooms, briny black olives, concentrated sun-dried tomatoes, and sweet roasted red peppers under a double layer of provolone and mozzarella. Every slice delivers a different combination of earthy, salty, and sweet.

The high oven temperature is what makes or breaks this. Cranking the heat as high as your oven goes crisps the shell fast while getting the cheese golden and bubbly before the toppings dry out. Eight to ten minutes is all it takes.

Layer the provolone directly on the vegetables first, then blanket the whole thing with mozzarella. The provolone melts around the toppings and holds them in place, while the mozzarella on top browns and stretches. Two cheeses, two jobs.

Kitchen Tips

• Place mushrooms in small clumps rather than spreading individual pieces. Clumps hold moisture and stay meaty instead of shriveling into crispy bits.
• Use oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes. Dry-packed ones can burn at this high temperature before they soften.
• Preheat the oven for at least 20 minutes so the full heat is available the moment the pizza goes in.
• If using a pizza stone, preheat it in the oven. A hot stone gives the bottom crust extra crunch.

Variations

• Add crumbled Italian sausage or prosciutto for a meat version.
• Swap tomato sauce for pesto or olive tapenade as the base.
• Scatter fresh arugula over the top after baking for a peppery, fresh contrast.