White Pizza

Made with 3 different cheeses (no tomato sauce here!) and drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil, garlicky goodness. Yes, please!

I absolutely love a good margherita pizza, but sometimes I just crave a white pie like nothing else. It’s so simple with a few different white cheeses but my goodness, it’s really something else. It could be the dollops of ricotta. The melted mozzarella. Or the garlicky-olive-oil goodness with a hint of heat from the crushed red pepper flakes. Maybe it’s all of the above.

WHAT IS WHITE PIZZA

Also known as pizza bianca and traditionally associated with Roman cuisine, white pizza is made without tomato sauce, topped with olive oil, garlic and cheese.

REASONS TO MAKE WHITE PIZZA

• Fun twist from traditional pizza made with tomato sauce
• Huge win for those with tomato allergies
• Best kind of family-friendly recipe
• Quick, fast and easy, perfect for busy weeknights and lazy weekends
• So customizable, adding different cheeses and toppings to taste

TIPS AND TRICKS FOR SUCCESS

• Homemade pizza dough goes a long way. Some of the best pizzas are made with good homemade dough, yielding a chewy, flavorful crust. The best part? Homemade pizza dough can be frozen up to 2 months. If using store-bought, opt for a pound of pizza dough at your favorite local pizza joint. It will make all the difference here.
• For a crispier crust, use a hot pizza stone. While a baking sheet can certainly do the trick, a pizza stone will allow for even cooking, mimicking a traditional wood-fired pizza oven and resulting in a far more superior crust due to its high heat retention.
• Use good quality extra virgin olive oil. With its short ingredient list of mainly olive oil, garlic and cheese, good quality extra virgin olive oil is best. Poor quality olive oil can lead to bland white pizza.
• Use freshly grated cheese. Although pre-shredded cheese can save a few minutes in the kitchen, pre-shredded cheese contains anti-caking agents to prevent clumping – this can hinder its ability to melt properly. Freshly grated cheese will not only have a better flavor profile, but it will also melt more smoothly and evenly, yielding a far more superior pizza.