🇮🇹 Italian · Pizza
🍕 Pizza Quattro Stagioni
Pizza Quattro Stagioni
'Four Seasons' pizza divides its toppings into four quarters — mushrooms, artichokes, ham, and olives — each representing a season, all on the same slow-fermented Neapolitan base.
Rather than mixing toppings together, quattro stagioni keeps each ingredient to its own quarter of the pizza, letting diners taste each season's character distinctly before they inevitably blend at the center.
Ingredients
Equipment: Large mixing bowl, Pizza stone or steel, Pizza peel
- 500 g (4 cups) 00 flour or bread flour
- 325 ml (1⅓ cups) water, room temperature
- 10 g (1¾ tsp) fine sea salt
- 2 g (½ tsp) active dry yeast
- 300 g (10.5 oz) canned San Marzano tomatoes, crushed by hand
- 200 g (7 oz) fresh mozzarella, torn
- 150 g (5.3 oz) mushrooms, sliced and sautéed
- 4 marinated artichoke hearts, quartered
- 100 g (3.5 oz) cooked ham, sliced
- 60 g (½ cup) black olives, pitted
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Salt, to taste
Method
- Dissolve the yeast in the water, then gradually mix in the flour and salt to form a shaggy dough.
- Knead for 10 minutes until smooth, place in an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise at room temperature for 2 hours.
- Divide into 4 balls, shape into tight rounds, and refrigerate covered for at least 8 hours, ideally 24.
- Bring the dough to room temperature 1–2 hours before baking, and preheat the oven with a stone or steel to its highest setting for a full hour.
- Sauté the mushrooms separately in a little olive oil until golden, and set aside with the other toppings prepared.
- Stretch a dough ball by hand into a round and spread with a thin layer of crushed tomatoes.
- Dot with mozzarella across the whole pizza, then arrange the mushrooms, artichokes, ham, and olives each in their own quarter.
- Slide onto the hot stone and bake for 8–12 minutes until the crust is puffed and charred in spots.
- Finish with a drizzle of olive oil and serve immediately.
Chef Tips
- Pre-cook the mushrooms separately so they don't release excess water onto the pizza during baking.
- Keep each topping distinctly within its own quarter rather than letting them mix, which is the whole point of this style.
- A long, cold fermentation for the dough gives far more flavor than a same-day dough.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Using raw, unsautéed mushrooms, which release water and make that quarter of the pizza soggy.
- Mixing the toppings together rather than keeping them separated by quarter.
- Overloading each quarter, preventing that section from cooking through properly.
Nutrition (per serving)
Health Benefits
- A good source of protein and calcium, with vegetables contributing fiber and vitamins.
Cultural Note
Quattro stagioni is a beloved variation across Italian pizzerias, its four distinct quarters a playful way to enjoy several classic toppings without any one overwhelming the others.
Storage & Serving
Storage: Best eaten fresh; leftover pizza keeps refrigerated for up to 2 days.
Reheating: Reheat in a hot skillet or oven to re-crisp; avoid the microwave.
Serve with: A simple green salad, A light Italian red wine