Name: Roman-style Pizza Bianca
Prep time: 5 h
Cook time: 7 min
Total time: 5 h 7 min
Yield: Makes 1 pizza

Roman-style Pizza Bianca

While Naples is where the first pizza ever was born, ever, here’s another Italian city that’s famous for their original take on pizza –– Rome. All throughout this ancient city, you’ll find that traditional Roman pizzas styles feature crusts that are Neapolitan pizzas, but thinner than deep-dish, and the dough is similar to a flat focaccia.

Simple, yet packed with flavor, this tasty pie is sold by the slice in bakeries across Rome as either pizza bianca (white pizza) or pizza rossa (red pizza), and topped with high quality extra virgin olive oil and salt, or tomato sauce.

To get the base nice and crispy, our version is cooked at a low temperature for a longer period of time, which gives it an irresistible crunch. Designed to cook in your Ooni oven, our recipe delivers the classic pizza bianca straight to your home –– while you may not be in the streets of Rome, we’re pretty sure these flavors will make you feel like you are.

Difficulty

Servings

Makes 1 pizza

Prep Time

4 to 5 hours

Cook Time

6-7 minutes

By Ooni HQ

Note

For the best-tasting pizza bianca, begin prepping your dough at least 24 hours in advance of cooking.

Method

For the dough

1. In a bowl, dissolve the salt in the water.

Next, add the yeast and stir to activate.

2. Add the mixture to your stand mixer mixing bowl, followed by the flour –– this prevents the flour from collecting at the bottom.

3. Using a bread hook, knead on a low speed, making sure to scrape down any excess flour.

Once fully combined, knead at a low speed for another10 minutes.

Note: If mixing by hand, place the flour in a large bowl and pour the yeast mixture into it. Stir with a wooden spoon until a dough starts to form. Continue mixing by hand until the dough comes together in a ball.

4. Once kneaded, scrape the dough into a small bowl and cover with a damp towel.

The towel creates a moisture seal that allows the dough to breathe while preventing moisture from escaping. Leave the dough to proof in a warm room for 1.5 hours.

5. Once the dough has finished proofing, perform a stretch and fold with to help it build structure.

The dough will be sticky, so wet your hands with water to help pick up the dough from the bowl –– it helps to keep a bowl of water handy as you do this, so you can easily wet your hands as needed.

6. Gently pick up the dough and allow gravity to pull the dough downward, so it hangs like a curtain with your fingers in the middle.

Then lay the dough flat in the bowl, with the inside seam lying lengthways. Turn the bowl 90 degrees and repeat, picking up the dough to gently stretch before laying it flat again. Repeat this 5 to 10 times, or until the dough becomes smooth.

Note: This process traps the carbon dioxide that’s developing in the dough, which helps it form bubbles and rise while cooking.

7. Brush your sheet pan with the olive oil and lay the dough on it .

Then, cover with a wet towel and place in the fridge overnight, at least 12 hours.

8. At least 2 hours before you’re ready to prepare your pizza, take the dough out of the fridge to allow it to return to room temperature.

9. To stretch your dough into the sheet pan, place your fingers under the dough and pull towards the edge of the pan.

The dough will naturally contract towards itself, so cover with a damp towel and let rest for30 minutes.

10. Repeat until the dough is fully relaxed and reaches right into the corners of the pan.

11. Fire up your Ooni Pizza Oven, and preheat until the stone reaches 752˚F (400˚C).

You can check the stone temperature quickly and easily with the Ooni Infrared Thermometer.

For the toppings

1. Drizzle a bit of olive oil over the top of the dough, then firmly press your fingers into the dough to create dimples.

2. Top with a little more olive oil and salt to taste.

3. Bring the heat of the oven down by reducing the fire to a low flame – if you’re using gas, turn it to the lowest setting.

4. Place your sheet pan at the very front of the oven and cook the pizza for 6 minutes, or until the top of the pizza is golden.

Make sure to keep an eye on it as it bakes, and rotate the tray as it cooks to ensure an even cook.

5. Take the pizza out of the oven once it’s finished cooking, and season with extra salt if desired.

6. Finally, take it out of the pan, then slice and serve right away!.

Finally, take it out of the pan, then slice and serve right away!

Ooni HQ

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Equipment