Balsamic-Glazed Gruyère Mushroom Pizza

This pizza has Gruyère cheese, sautéed mushrooms, white sauce, and balsamic glaze. It’ll be a dinnertime hit!

When stacked atop a crispy pizza, mushrooms and cream are a classic combo. I made my own mushroom-topped white pizza from my neighborhood restaurant.

I use a store-bought pizza dough to make this a quick and impressive lunch for friends and family. The pizza’s components are easy to assemble!

Store-Bought Dough Is Easy

Store-bought pizza dough simplifies prep. Most store-bought doughs come in 1 to 2-pound increments, but we’ll only use half a pound each pizza (more dough makes the skillet dough less crispy and more “fluffy”).

Since we’ll proof and stretch it in the pan, this pizza method works with many doughs. I use Whole Foods or Wegman’s pizza dough to shape my pan pizzas, inspired by King Arthur’s pan pizza recipe.

Toppings Analysis

After dough, let’s talk toppings!

Mushrooms: Use any mix of mushrooms. I enjoy cremini, oysters, and shiitake.
Cheese: Mozzarella and Gruyère create a creamy, sharp, and nutty flavor. I suggest buying and grating low-moisture mozzarella. Fresh mozzarella in liquid makes pizza too moist.

White sauce: Heavy cream simmers with garlic and thickens on the burner.
Balsamic glaze: Reduced balsamic vinegar with sugar offers a pleasant acidity to temper the cheese and mushrooms’ richness. Store-bought glazes make prep easier. Most supermarkets and Italian specialty businesses sell balsamic glaze. Find a recipe for homemade balsamic glaze here.

Pizza-Making Tip

Follow these steps for a crispy, cheesy pizza.
Oil a well-seasoned cast iron skillet to prevent dough from sticking. Use additional oil if your skillet is unseasoned.
Use a food processor with a grater attachment to grate the cheese faster.
Stretch the proofing pizza gently. Stretch the pizza to the skillet edge during proving. If the dough resists, wait 20 minutes before attempting again.
Balsamic-Glazed Gruyère Mushroom Pizza
60 minutes.
30 minutes.
105 minutes.
3 hours 15 mins
6–8 servings
2 10-inch cast-iron skillet pizzas

Ingredients

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, split 2 (8-ounce) balls pizza dough, store-bought or homemade
12 ounces various mushrooms, cleaned and finely sliced or broken into bite-sized pieces.Kosher salt
Grated black pepper
1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley, divided
1-cup heavy cream
1 clove garlic, peeled 8 ounces low-moisture mozzarella
shredded 4 ounces Gruyère
shredded 2 tablespoons balsamic glaze, for drizzling, plus more if needed

Special Gear

2 10-inch cast-iron skillets or circular pizza pans

Method

Preheat the oven to 450°F with a rack in the bottom third.

Coat skillets:

Apply 1 tablespoon of oil to two 10-inch cast-iron skillets’ bases and sides. Put 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil in a new skillet. Toss each 8-ounce pizza dough portion in a skillet with oil to cover all sides.

Stretch dough:

Put your hands under the dough and gradually stretch it toward the skillet’s sides. If the dough resists, give it 10–15 minutes to settle before trying again. Stretch, pause for 10 minutes, and stretch again until the dough reaches the skillet, around 30 minutes.

Proof dough:

Dough rises as it relaxes and stretches. After stretching, let the dough rise in the skillet for 45–60 minutes until thoroughly proofed. Gently press the dough to see if it’s fully proofed. Proofed dough slowly rises back and leaves a little indentation. It’s under-proofed if it springs back rapidly. Gently dimple the dough.

Roast mushrooms:

Toss mushrooms with 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Transfer to a large parchment-lined baking sheet and layer evenly (they will shrink). Bake the mushrooms for 15–20 minutes, stirring halfway, until wrinkled, golden-brown, and somewhat crispy. Mix 1/4 cup parsley and cool.

White sauce:

Simmer cream in a small skillet over medium heat. Simmer the cream on medium-low until it bubbles slightly. Add garlic, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes or until the cream coats a spoon. Pour into a heat-proof jar and cool.

First pizza:

Spread half the cheese over the dough in the first skillet. If you don’t like the cheese crisping and browning, leave a 1/2-inch gap between the dough and the pan’s sides.

Cover cheese with half the mushrooms. Drizzle half the thickened cream sauce on top with a spoon.

Pizza #1:

Bake the pizza for 15–20 minutes, flipping halfway, until the bottom is crispy and deep golden-brown and the cheese is bubbling and caramelized. After baking, drizzle with 1 tablespoon of balsamic glaze (or more). Serve after cooling.

Second pizza:

Assemble, bake, and cool the second pizza with the remaining ingredients while the first cools.

Serve:

Remove skillets from pans with a spatula or knife and place on a wooden chopping board. Add parsley. Cut wedges using a knife or kitchen scissors. Serve warm.

Pizza can be covered in foil and refrigerated for three days. Reheat leftover pizza on a foil-lined sheet pan at 350°F for 8–10 minutes.