Pizza Blanco

During the month of September, we've been highlighting different types of pizza. This week in the bread-baking blog, we're featuring Pizza Blanca.

This version of 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. It actually has a heady garlic flavor. I loved the taste and texture of this pizza, but I thought the garlic flavor was a little overpowering. 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

Pizza Blanca 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

Pizza Blanca 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. ;)

You might enjoy some of these other Homemade Pizza Recipes

 

Happy Baking!
Cathy