Pizza Bianca
A white pizza with no tomato sauce, topped with mozzarella, ricotta, garlic and rosemary on a flatbread base.
Photograph credit: Flour - Pizza Bianca by Edsel Little · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Flickr · this resized copy is shared under the same licence
The Method for Pizza Bianca
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Heat the oven to 230°C / 445°F with a baking tray inside. Mix 2 tbsp of the oil with the garlic.
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Spread the garlic oil over the bases, leaving a rim. Top with the mozzarella and spoonfuls of ricotta and sprinkle with the salt and chilli.
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Bake on the hot tray for 15 to 20 minutes until golden and crisp.
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Scatter with the rosemary and rocket and finish with the remaining oil and the lemon juice.
Things to Watch For
- Drain the mozzarella.
- Heat the tray first.
- If your oven runs hot, check at 12 minutes.
- Add the rocket after baking.
If You're Missing Something
- An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the stand-in usually given when you are out of fresh garlic; it will not brown the same way, and it burns easily, so add it with the liquid.
Good to Know About Pizza Bianca
Pizza bianca means white pizza, and the name is literal: there is no tomato sauce, and the base is flavoured with oil, garlic and herbs. Without a sauce to hide behind, the base and the cheese have to be good.
Spread the base with a thin coat of olive oil mixed with crushed garlic, and leave a clear rim. Dot the ricotta over it in spoonfuls, which makes pockets of creamy cheese between the melted mozzarella. Season with salt, pepper and a little chilli. Drain the mozzarella well. Its water is the usual cause of a soggy centre.
Bake at 230°C / 445°F on a hot tray for 15 to 20 minutes, until the cheese is spotted with gold and the crust is crisp at the edges. If your oven runs hot, check at 12 minutes.
Finish with rosemary, a drizzle of oil and a squeeze of lemon. A handful of rocket on top, added after baking, adds a fresh bite.
What to Serve It With
Green salad · Prosecco · Roasted tomatoes · Olives
Storing Leftovers
Keeps in the fridge for 2 days. Reheat in a hot oven to crisp the base.
Nutrition per Serving
Per serving, an approximate calculation from the ingredient list. Treat it as a rough guide: part of the energy comes from foods, or weights per item, with no recorded source. How the figures are worked out.
Your notes on this recipe
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Compiled by Turab
Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked.
First published ; last changed .