An easy and delicious pizza bianca recipe. My idea of pizza heaven!
Also known as white pizza, the pizza base is spread with a ricotta parmesan cheese mixture (instead of traditional tomato sauce), topped with salty pancetta cubes, creamy grated mozzarella, and finished with wild rocket!
You'll also want to check out my ultimate meat feast pizza too!
White pizza is requested a lot in this house, especially by my eldest daughter who doesn't like tomato sauce! I'm more than happy to oblige because I love a slice of this tasty pizza bianco too!
👩🍳 Don't forget to try my cheesy chips - the perfect accompaniment to pizza!
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✔️ Why you'll love this recipe!
- Easy pizza recipe to make at home
- Quick to make homemade pizza dough
- Made without tomato or marinara sauce
- Customise the toppings to suit individual taste
🛒 Ingredient notes
- For the dough - strong white bread flour (you can substitute with plain flour if that is all you have), fast action dried yeast, sugar, salt, olive oil and tepid water.
- For the white sauce - creamy ricotta cheese, grated parmesan cheese, and garlic powder.
- For the topping - pancetta, oregano, grated mozzarella and wild rocket (arugula).
🔪 How to make pizza bianca (white pizza)
The recipe card with ingredient quantities and detailed instructions can be found at the bottom of the post
One: Place the flour, yeast, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. Mix with a spoon.
Two: Pour in the olive oil and tepid water. Mix in with a spoon then use your hands to bring the dough together.
💡 Pro Tip - use tepid water or lukewarm water that is neither hot nor cold to the touch. This will help activate the yeast. Water that is too hot will kill the yeast.
Three: Knead the dough for 1 minute on a lightly floured work surface before placing it back in the bowl (covered with clingfilm or plastic wrap) to prove for 45 minutes at room temperature (you could speed up proving by putting the bowl in a warm place like an airing cupboard).
💡 Pro Tip - you can use a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment to knead the dough (on a low speed setting), but I like doing it by hand!
Four: Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface or cutting board to roughly 30 cm diameter and place on a pizza stone or baking tray. Leave to rest for 5 minutes whilst you get the toppings ready.
Five: Make the white sauce by mixing together the ricotta, grated Parmesan, and garlic powder in a small bowl.
Six: Spread the white sauce on the base of the pizza and top with the cubed pancetta.
Seven: Sprinkle over the grated mozzarella and oregano and bake for 8-10 minutes until golden brown and bubbling in a very hot oven (240c or 220 fan).
Eight: Once out of the oven top with the wild rocket before serving.
💭 Expert tips
- If you don't have time to make your own pizza dough, cut that step out and buy a ready made pizza base!
- Instead of rolling the pizza dough out with a rolling pin, place the dough on your pizza stone or baking tin and stretch it out with your hands.
- For an authentic rustic pizza base, sprinkle a little coarse semolina onto the baking tray or pizza stone before placing the dough on top.
- A drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil before baking gives it an extra luxurious feel.
- For an extra crispy base, use a pizza peel (paddle) to transfer the pizza to the oven and place it directly on a preheated pizza stone or baking tray.
- The ingredients quantities in this recipe make 1 large pizza (30cm diameter) or you could make 2 smaller pizzas if you prefer.
🍴 Serving suggestions
Serve the pizza bianca with a side of dough balls, cheesy chips, sweet potato fries, angel hair pasta with garlic and herbs, or how about baked carrot fries!
You might also want to check out these 45 easy side dishes to serve with pizza!
📖 Variations
Try these different topping ideas for your pizza bianca!
- Blue Cheese
- Goat Cheese
- Marscapone
- Sliced Mushrooms
- Sliced Potatoes
- Bacon
- Artichokes
- Rosemary
- Pine Nuts
- Lemon Zest
- Thyme Leaves
- Fresh Basil
Swap the strong white bread flour with plain flour and make easy pizza dough with plain flour!
🥡 Storage
Pizza is best eaten hot, and this white pizza is no exception!
However, you can make the pizza dough ahead and freeze it until needed. Defrost thoroughly in the fridge before rolling out.
Leftover pizza bianca slices can be eaten cold (I often pack a slice in lunchboxes), or reheated in a hot oven for a few minutes.
❓ Frequently asked questions
White pizza (otherwise known as pizza bianca or pizza bianco) is an Italian-style pizza that does not use tomato sauce. Ricotta is commonly used as a topping on white pizza.
It's thought pizza bianca originated in Rome, by bakers who would test the temperature of their ovens with dough, before baking their loaves of bread.
Yes you can! Simply substitute the strong white bread flour for regular plain flour. Due to the lower protein content of plain flour, the texture of the pizza dough will be slightly different, but still as tasty!
😋 Other recipes you might like
- Easy Focaccia
- BBQ Chicken Pizza
- Mini Sausage Rolls
- Cheese and Bacon Turnovers
- Scone Pizza
- Chorizo Mozzarella Pizza
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Recipe
Easy Pizza Bianca (White Pizza)
Ingredients
For the pizza dough
- 270 g Strong White Bread Flour
- 7 g Fast Action Dried Yeast
- ½ teaspoon Sea Salt
- ½ teaspoon Caster Sugar
- 2 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 160 ml Tepid (Lukewarm) Water
For the topping
- 150 g Ricotta Cheese
- 2 tablespoon Parmesan grated
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 160 g Pancetta
- 1 teaspoon Oregano
- 125 g Mozzarella grated
- Top with a handful of wild rocket
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 240°c (220 fan).
To make the pizza dough
- Place the flour, yeast, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. Mix with a spoon.270 g Strong White Bread Flour, 7 g Fast Action Dried Yeast, ½ teaspoon Sea Salt, ½ teaspoon Caster Sugar
- Pour in the olive oil and tepid water. Mix in with a spoon then use your hands to bring the dough together.2 tablespoon Olive Oil, 160 ml Tepid (Lukewarm) Water
- Knead the dough for 1 minute on a lightly floured work surface before placing it back in the bowl (covered with clingfilm or plastic wrap) to prove for 45 minutes at room temperature (you could speed up proving by putting the bowl in a warm place like an airing cupboard).
- Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface or cutting board to roughly 30 cm diameter and place on a pizza stone or baking tray. Leave to rest for 5 minutes whilst you get the toppings ready.
For the pizza topping
- Make the white sauce by mixing together the ricotta, grated Parmesan, and garlic powder in a small bowl.150 g Ricotta Cheese, 2 tablespoon Parmesan, 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- Spread the white sauce on the base of the pizza and top with the cubed pancetta.160 g Pancetta
- Sprinkle over the grated mozzarella and oregano and bake for 8-10 minutes until golden brown and bubbling in a very hot oven (240c or 220 fan).125 g Mozzarella, 1 teaspoon Oregano
- Once out of the oven top with the wild rocket before serving.
Notes
- If you don't have time to make your own pizza dough, cut that step out and buy a ready-made pizza base!
- Instead of rolling the pizza dough out with a rolling pin, place the dough on your pizza stone or baking tin and stretch it out with your hands.
- For an authentic rustic pizza base, sprinkle a little coarse semolina onto the baking tray or pizza stone before placing the dough on top.
- A drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil before baking gives it an extra luxurious feel.
- For an extra crispy base, use a pizza peel (paddle) to transfer the pizza to the oven and place it directly on a preheated pizza stone or baking tray.
- The ingredients quantities in this recipe make 1 large pizza (30cm diameter) or you could make 2 smaller pizzas if you prefer.
- Blue Cheese
- Goat Cheese
- Marscapone
- Sliced Mushrooms
- Sliced Potatoes
- Bacon
- Artichokes
- Rosemary
Angela
OMG, this is sooo good! Love the combo of the ricotta and pancetta. Perfect way to change up pizza night in my house. This recipe is definitely a keeper!
rebecca
OMG seriously such great flavors going on in this pizza! The pizza bianca is a great fancy pizza to make at home, it feels even more like a restaurant pizza than red sauce pizzas
Suja md
Perfect! I love this recipe! I haven’t made one in ages. Thanks for the idea!
Claudia Lamascolo
What was so great about this pizza was the family loved it without sauce and ricotta and even tasted great reheated.
Elizabeth
Isn't this a creative idea! I've never heard of a white pizza before but after reading this I very much want to try it! That's this weekend's date night dinner - sorted! Thank you!
Shadi Hasanzadenemati
This was such a hit! Thank you for this awesome recipe.