If you’re not familiar with "White Pizza", this pizza bianca is a pizza made without tomato sauce and topped with several kinds of white cheeses.
This style of pizza is completely adaptable for even more toppings of your choice and has been altered in American restaurants!
An authentic white pizza is made with just minced garlic, drizzled with olive oil, (no tomato or white sauce at all) sometimes sprinkled with sesame seed with added herbs depending on the Region of Italy, a white pizza is often even referred to as focaccia.
Again, many folks will make a white pizza plain, or adapt to several different toppings, just choose your favorite way and get creative.
Pizza Bianca
Our grandparents on my father's side were from Rome, Italy, pizza bianco, "Italian pizza" originated in Rome.
Roman pizza in this style of “pizza bianca,” is a white pizza with cheeses and everything about the pizza is white and no tomato sauce is on it however there have been many creative adaptions in our American adaptions through the years.
Being Italian/American, we have also included the many different styles of white pizza and have many creative suggestions below for you to ponder.
Tools Needed
- Rolling Pin
- Grater
- Mixing bowl
- spatula
- Plastic wrap or tea towel for covering while rising
- Knife
Popular Topping Combinations
- Sausage, cheese, mushroom, peppers, and white sauce
- Pepperoni, mozzarella, tomato sauce
- Shrimp, cheese, garlic, feta or Havarti cheese
- Peppers, olives, onion, mushrooms, provolone
- Eggplant, tomatoes, cheese, white sauce
- Zucchini, sliced tomato, cheese, tomato sauce
- Mushrooms, sausage, olives, tomatoes, cheese, sauce
- Any meats, grated cheese, and mozzarella, a dollop of ricotta
- Ham, cheese, pineapple, cream cheese
- Ricotta, Parmesan, and mozzarella cheese bacon or prosciutto
- Cooked chicken, cheese, white sauce
- Spinach, mozzarella, feta or ricotta, minced garlic
- Cooked steak, pepper, mushrooms, mozzarella, or provolone
Try Some Other Of Our Favorite Recipes
Grilled Chicago Pizza
Buffalo Chicken Pizza
Stromboli
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Non-Tomato Sauce Lovers
This Pizza Bianca is the perfect alternative to non-tomato lovers or those who can't take acidic foods.
This recipe is all made from wholesome ingredients and although it is all made from scratch, you can use your own store-bought dough if you prefer to cut some time.
Garlic Pizza Bianca
Prep time: 3 HourCook time: 19 MinTotal time: 3 H & 19 M
A white garlic sauce on top of Italian dough baked to perfection loaded with mozzarella or provolone cheese
Ingredients
- 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 granulated garlic powder
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan or shredded Havarti cheese
- Topping Garnishes:
- 12 cloves garlic,
- crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
- salt and pepper
- grated Pecorino Romano cheese
- 2 cups or more of Mozzarella or Provolone slices
- fresh basil or oregano
- Optional: sprinkle edges with sesame seeds and olive oil before baking
- Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and red pepper flakes
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl add the water and yeast, stir, and let sit for 4 minutes to dissolve.
- Stir in the flours, oil, sugar, and salt.
- Add all-purpose flour and then briskly whisk in olive oil, sugar, and salt.
- Knead to make a soft dough ( I used a dough hook with my mixer as shown)
- Place the timer on at least 8 minutes for kneading by hand or mixer.
- Oil the top of the dough and let rise covered with a damp towel. 3 to 4 hours.
- Grease your pizza pan with shortening or oil.
- I make around 2 round pizza pans of dough stretched out.
- Cover them both with a warm wet tea towel.
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
- In the meantime make the sauce.
- Add the butter, to a small pan to melt with flour and stir it.
- Cook for around 40 seconds then slowly add the milk salt, pepper garlic, and grated cheese until it thickens stirring the whole entire time.
- This takes around 1 minute or so on low heat.
- Top the risen dough with minced fresh garlic, salt pepper, and mozzarella or provolone cheeses plus some fresh basil.
- Add some sauce in random areas of the dough to coat the top.
- Let pizza sit 15 more minutes depending on how thick you like your dough.
- Bake the pizza in preheated oven until browned and crispy around 25 to 35 minutes or until the cheese starts to brown.
- Cool slightly if you can wait before slicing.
- Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and red pepper flakes if desired.
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Don't Forget To Try My Favorite Fried Dough Recipe!
Pizza Fritta
Copycat O'scugnizzo Pizza
Disclosure: This recipe was originally shared in 2012. It was edited and re-published in 2021.
