This Pizza Blanca is made with a rustic dough and topped with an Alfredo-type sauce that (as the name implies) is all white, very cheesy and garlicky.
And by garlicky, I mean it has a heady garlic flavor. I loved the taste and texture of this pizza, but I thought the garlic flavor was a little overpowering. However, my taste tester loved it!
Pizza Blanco
Makes: 3 pizzas
From A Passion for Baking by Marcy Goldman.
Ingredients:
Pizza Blanca Dough:
- 2 cups warm water
- 2 teaspoons rapid-rise yeast
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 teaspoons sugar
- 1 3/4 teaspoons salt
- 2 1/2 cups or more bread flour
- Olive Oil
Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup milk
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan or shredded Harvarti cheese
Assembly Ingredients:
- 12 cloves garlic, crushed
- Salt and pepper
- Large shavings of Parmesan cheese
- Minced fresh basil or oregano
Directions:
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the water and yeast and let it stand 2 to 3 minutes to dissolve yeast. Add all-purpose flour and then briskly whisk in olive oil, sugar, and salt. Add most of the bread flour and stir.
Knead to make a soft, slack dough. Knead gently by hand or with a dough hook 5 to 8 minutes on lowest speed of mixer. Dust with more flour if necessary to help the dough hold together. Spray the dough with nonstick cooking spray and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise 2 to 3 hours until puffy.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and gently deflate. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and drizzle with oil. Divide the dough into three portions and let rest 15 minutes.
Place the dough on the oiled parchment paper and stretch into 9-to-12-inch rounds. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let it rise.
Making Pizza Blanca Sauce
In a saucepan, melt butter and then stir in flour. Cook over medium heat 1 minute, stirring constantly. Slowly whisk in milk and cook, stirring until sauce thickens. Stir in salt, pepper, garlic, and cheese.
Assembling the Pizzas
Smear crushed garlic on each pizza. Dust with salt, pepper, and freshly shaved cheese, and herbs. I used fresh basil from my herb garden. Drop dollops of sauce over surface, coating the top. Let the pizzas rise (20 minutes for a crispy crust up to 1 1/2 hours for a more bready crust). I only let them rise for about 20 minutes if that. We were really hungry!
Preheat the oven to 425 to 450 degrees. I used a baking stone.
I started out baking the pizza on the baking sheet as instructed in the recipe but decided partway through the baking to slide the pizza (on the parchment paper) directly onto the stone. I always like this method much better.
Bake until cheese sizzles on top and edges of pizza are browned, about 10 to 15 minutes. Here is the pizza ready to eat! It tasted great with a salad with caesar dressing.
I liked this pizza so much, I decided to submit it to YeastSpotting, hosted by Susan of Wild Yeast.
My sons weren’t to keen on trying the pizza blanca (mainly because it didn’t have any meat on it or pizza sauce) so I made their version with pepperoni, onions, and green peppers. They loved their version especially with the rustic dough. You’ll just have to imagine what their pizza looked like. They devoured it before I could get a photo. đŸ˜‰
You might enjoy some of these other Homemade Pizza Recipes
Happy Baking!
Cathy
Cathy
thanks for sharing!!
I love pizza and my favorite pizza place is Bellacinos pizza and grinders.
This looks yummy. I think baking directly on the stone is definitely better than a pan. Thanks for sending this to YeastSpotting!
This looks really good! The white blobs of sauce make it seem quite classy.
Thank you. It is really good! The white sauce reminds me of alfredo sauce – yummy!
OH MY…I love White Pizza and this looks scrumptious!
This would be good if the dough is left to proof from 8 to 24 hours. The flavor matures the longer it proofs. Also, after mixing, I just plop it in a large bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. No need to use oil on top unless you want to. Once the dough is ready, I turn it onto a floured pizza peel and make it into a ball with well floured hands. I cut it into fourths. I make my pizza square so they are about 15 by 13 rectangles of very thin pizza dough for each quarter of dough. I use two pieces of dough and refrigerate the other two for later in the week.
Once the dough is flattened and ready to be shaped, I let it rest on the peel for about 10 to 15 minutes. It will then be ready to be shaped without springing back so much, no oil necessary. You can use your knuckles and gravity to turn the dough round and round to shape it or use a rolling pin . Once it has rested it is easier to shape.
Put your ready pizza on parchment that lays over your pizza peel and slide onto your pizza stone or baking pan.
If you let the dough rise for the longer time, you really only need about a 1/4 teaspoon of Rapid Rise yeast. Time and Mother Nature knead and proof the dough for you. I mix my dough before bed and it is ready for supper the next day. The dough will be really wet and sticky, don’t let that deter you, it will come out great. There is no need to over handle or work the dough. Just put all the ingredients including the yeast in one bowl at the same time, mix it, proof it, bake it.
This dough is ready on your schedule. So easy.
Yes fermented pizza dough definitely improves the flavor and texture. Thanks for sharing your tips.